Chou Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Earth (tǔ) Qian Kangxi strokes: 14 Page 237, Entry 12 Pronounced qian (falling tone) Shuowen Jiezi: A pit. Also, a water-filled trench surrounding a city wall. Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Qin Annals: Cut through mountains and filled valleys for one thousand eight hundred miles. Sometimes also written in a variant form (qian). Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Qin Annals: Ditch along the river. Biography of Emperor Gaozu (Gaozu Benji): Deep trenches and guarded. Also written as (qian). Biography of Sima Xiangru: Collapsed walls and filled trenches.