Chou Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Earth (tǔ). Kangxi strokes: 13. Page 223, Entry 06. In Expanded Dictionary of Rhymes (Guangyun) and Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is pronounced ku. According to Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen), in the regions of the Ru and Ying rivers, to exert effort upon the earth is called sheng. According to Master Yang’s Regional Dialects (Fangyan), sheng sheng describes the appearance of exerting effort without any remaining work. Note: it is composed of the radical for earth and the radical for again. It is a compound ideograph representing a hand holding earth. It is also written in a variant form. The Dictionary of Characters (Zihui) states it is pronounced guai, but this is incorrect. Furthermore, according to the Essentials of Unified Characters (Tongwen Juyao), it belongs to the Again radical and is defined as to dwell or to follow. It is currently written as zai, and since zai and sheng are unified into one character, it is an error that the vulgar character guai is written in this way.