Zi Collection, Page Position: Upper Radical: One (yī) Kangxi Stroke Count: 5 Page 77, Entry 11 Written in ancient script as shì. In the Broad Rimes (Guangyun), the fanqie pronunciation is shū-zhì. In the Collected Rimes (Jiyun), Rhyme Assembly (Yunhui), and Correct Rimes (Zhengyun), the fanqie is shǐ-zhì. It is pronounced the same as shì. The meaning is passed down through generations. The Greater Odes of the Kingdom (Daya) section of the Book of Odes (Shijing) records: The main line and branches shall continue for a hundred generations. The Analects (Lunyu) also states: It must take a generation before benevolence prevails. The commentary states: Thirty years constitute one generation. In the Zuo Commentary (Zuozhuan), during the third year of Duke Xuan, Wangsun Man said: Divination predicted the lineage would last thirty generations and the state would flourish for seven hundred years; this is the will of Heaven. The Vimalakirti Sutra (Weimojing) mentions the Great Thousand World. The commentary explains: Shì refers to living together between heaven and earth, while jiè refers to the distinctions between one another. It is also a surname. The Comprehensive Meaning of Customs (Fengsu Tong) records: There was a high official in the State of Qin named Shi Jun. Also interchangeable with shēng, meaning life or birth. The Book of Master Lie (Liezi), in the Heavenly Gifts (Tianrui) chapter, states: Just as a person goes from birth to old age, the skin, nails, and hair continuously shed throughout the process of life. The commentary says: Shì has the same meaning as shēng. In the Rhyme Supplement (Yunbu), it has a rhyming pronunciation of sī-liè, pronounced like xuē. The Book of Odes, Greater Odes of the Kingdom says: The mirror for Yin is not far off; it is in the generation of the sovereign of Xia. It rhymes with the word bō in the preceding line, where bō is pronounced like piě. The Book of Jin (Jinshu), Treatise on Music records: Rectifying the times and saving the customs, the magnificent achievements surpass the generation. The universe is now at peace, and the nine provinces are unified. In the Collected Rimes, it is written in a variant form.