You Collection, Lower Volume
Radical: Carriage (chē)
Ren; Kangxi strokes: 10; Page 1240
Broad Rhymes (Guangyun), Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), Dictionary of Rhymes (Yunhui), Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun): Pronounced rèn.
Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen): To obstruct a carriage.
Xu says: A device to stop the wheels from turning is called a ren. It also refers to anything that stops movement.
Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu), Biography of Shentu Gang: Emperor Guangwu once wanted to go on an excursion, but Gang remonstrated with him; as he would not listen, Gang used his own head to stop the wheels of the imperial carriage.
Commentary: This refers to using one's head to stop the carriage wheels.
Also, to remove the ren, the wheels turn and the carriage moves; thus, starting any endeavor is called fa ren (setting out).
Qu Yuan, Encountering Sorrow (Lisao): I set out from the Heavenly Ford at dawn.
Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu), Biography of Feng Yan: Setting out from Xinfeng and lingering near Haojing.
Also written as the variant form (rèn).
Mencius (Mengzi): Digging a well nine ren deep.