Xu Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Leather (wéi) 韌 Kangxi stroke count: 12 Page 1393, Entry 06 Pronounced ren According to the Explanation of Simple and Compound Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), it means soft yet firm. It is formed from the radical for leather with the sound component ren. According to the Expanded Rhymes (Guangyun), it refers to softness and toughness. According to the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it was originally written as the variant form (ren). It is sometimes also written as the variant form (ren).