You Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Carriage (chē) Shi Kangxi strokes: 13 Page 1242, Entry 20 Pronounced shi According to the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen), it refers to the horizontal bar in front of a carriage. In the Explanations of Names (Shiming), it is stated that the term for this bar is related to the word for reverence; it is the part upon which one leans while paying respects. In the Biography of Zhang Zhan in the History of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu), it mentions leaning on the carriage bar. The commentary explains that when riding a carriage, one must stand straight; when there is someone to respect, one leans on the bar, which involves bowing slightly. It is commonly written in the variant form shi. In the Analects of Confucius (Lunyu), it is written that he bowed to those carrying the census register.