Wei Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Tongue (shé) Kangxi Strokes: 6 Page 1006, Entry 22 Tang Rhymes (Tangyun), Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), Rhyme Meetings (Yunhui), Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun): Pronounced she (entering tone). Explanation of Graphs (Shuowen): The tongue is located in the mouth; it is that by which one speaks and that which distinguishes flavors. Xu says: Whenever objects enter the mouth, they must be processed by the tongue. Essence of the Six Writings (Liushu Jingyun): The function of the tongue is to curl and extend, while the function of the mouth is to open and close; each represents its own yin or yang. Explication of Names (Shiming): Tongue, meaning to roll; it can roll and control food so that it does not fall. Also: Tongue, meaning to release; it extends to release what ought to be spoken. Book of Changes (Yi), Explanation of Trigrams (Shuogua): The Joyous (Dui) represents the mouth and tongue. Commentary: The mouth and tongue are the instruments of speech. Book of Odes (Shijing), Greater Odes (Daya): Let no one touch my tongue; words cannot be retrieved. Also, the upper and lower parts of a target for archery are called tongues. Book of Ceremonial (Yili), Village Archery Rites (Xiangsheli): Double the center to define the body, and double the body to define the left and right tongues. Note: The parts on the two sides are called side-pieces, and those protruding left and right are called tongues. Also, to speak. Master Yang’s Great Mystery (Taixuanjing): Spitting out a yellow chieftain’s tongue. Note: Tongue means speech. Also, a surname. Surname Compendium (Xingzhuan): An official of the state of Yue named She Yong. Also, Yangshe, a compound surname. Zuo Commentary (Zuozhuan), Second Year of Duke Min: Hu Tu wanted to travel. Grand Master Yangshe said: It is not possible. Commentary: Yangshe is the clan name. His rank was that of a Grand Master. Also, an official title. Discourses of Zhou (Zhouyu): Sitting outside the gates, and sending the Tongue-man to convey the instructions. Note: The Tongue-man is an official who can communicate the intentions of foreign regions, similar to an interpreter. Also, a state name. Huainanzi, Treatise on Topography (Dixingxun): The Pierced People and the Reverted-Tongue People. Note: The Reverted-Tongue People cannot be understood when they speak to one another. Another theory is that the root of the tongue is in the front and does not face the throat, hence it is called reverted-tongue. This is the name of a state in the south. Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing): The Bifurcated-Tongue State is to the east. Another source says it is east of the Immortal People. Note: Its people all have forked tongues. Some say they are split tongues. Also, a grass name. Erya, Explanation of Grasses (Shicao): The huo plant is elk-tongue. Note: Nowadays, the elk-tongue herb sprouts leaves in the spring that resemble a tongue. Also, Broad Encyclopedia (Boya): The yingyu vine is also called infant-tongue. Also, General Explanation of Characters (Zhengzitong): Cow-tongue is plantain. Another name for it in Jiangdong is frog-clothing, and in Shandong, it is called cow-tongue. Also, a bird name. Book of Rites (Liji), Monthly Ordinances (Yueling): In the month of midsummer, the mockingbird is silent. Note: The mockingbird is the hundred-tongue bird. Huainanzi, Sayings of the Mountains (Shuoshanzhun): There are those who speak too much, like the sound of the hundred-tongue bird. Note: The hundred-tongue is a bird name. It can change its tongue to imitate the sounds of a hundred birds, which is why it is called hundred-tongue. Also, no-tongue, an insect name. Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao) Note: Also known as benefit-talisman, which treats blockages. Also, long-tongue, a beast name. Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing): In Long-Tongue Mountain there is a beast named long-tongue, shaped like a monkey with four ears; when it appears, the district often has flooding. Also, Rhyme Supplement (Yunbu): Rhymes with sha. Book of Odes (Shijing), Greater Odes (Daya): To issue and receive the King’s commands, the King’s throat and tongue. Bestowing government upon the outside, the four quarters all respond. Also, rhymes with shi. Xie Zheng, Explaining Ridicule (Shiji): Each family harbors its own discourse, and each person harbors different schemes. The rhetoricians want to tear open their chests, and the deceitful ones temporarily spit out their tongues.