Si Collection, Lower Volume
Radical: Dog (quǎn)
Kangxi Strokes: 4
Page 705, Entry 27
Tang Rhymes (Tangyun), Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), Dictionary of Rhymes (Yunhui), and Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun) pronounce it as quan (rising tone).
Shuowen Jiezi explains: A type of dog with suspended hooves. The character is a pictograph. Confucius once said: Looking at the character for dog, it is just like drawing a dog.
Piya records: Dogs are divided into three types: first, hunting dogs; second, watchdogs that bark; and third, dogs for consumption. Edible dogs are similar to modern meat cattle.
Book of Documents (Shangshu), Travels of the Western Barbarians (Lv'ao) records: Dogs and horses, if not native to the local land, should not be kept.
Book of Rites (Liji), Summary of the Rules of Proprietary (Quli) records: When presenting a dog, lead it from the left side.
Commentary notes: Dog and canine are interchangeable names. If subdivided, large ones are called canine and small ones are called dog. Thus, the Monthly Ordinances (Yueling) refers to them all as canine, and the Rites of Zhou (Zhouli) establishes the official post of Dog Officer, with no post for a dog officer. However, in the Banquet Rites (Yanli), it mentions cooking dog, which likely refers to the small ones or is a general usage.
Also, Book of Rites (Liji), Summary of the Rules of Proprietary (Quli) records: The dog is referred to as a soup offering.
Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Autumn Office, Minister of Justice, Dog Officer Commentary notes: The dog belongs to metal in the five elements, hence it is classified here. The dog has two meanings: it belongs to the Gen trigram because it can bark to stop people, and it belongs to the Dui trigram because it can produce sound.
Also, Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Biography of Sima Xiangru records: His parents gave him the childhood nickname Dog Son.
Also, Zuo Commentary (Zuozhuan), Eighth Year of Duke Yin records: Met at Dog Mound (Quánqiū).
Commentary notes: Dog Mound is the location of Chui. This place has two names.
