You Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Shell (bèi) 15 strokes Page 1209, Entry 01 According to the Collection of Characters (Zihui), this character did not exist in ancient times. In common usage, it is pronounced pei and is used in the term pei bu (to compensate or make up for a loss). According to the commentary on the character bei in the Correction of Characters (Zhengzitong): pei was originally written as bei. Yang Shen states that bei is pronounced pei and shares the same meaning. In the past, Gao Huan established a law stipulating that the theft of private property should be compensated at a rate of five-tenths, while the theft of government property should be compensated at a rate of three-tenths. A decree from the Northern Zhou dynasty stated that even after receiving an amnesty, the theft of government property must still be legally collected and compensated. The character bei carries the meaning of compensation, and the character pei is the form used in common custom.