Xu Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Short-tailed bird (zhuī)
Kangxi Strokes: 17
Page 1368, Entry 06
Ancient script. Pronounced sui (rising tone).
Shuowen Jiezi (Explanation of Simple and Compound Characters): It resembles a lizard but is larger. Formed from the insect radical with wei providing the phonetic.
Jade Chapters (Yupian): A word indicating a hypothetical condition.
Guangyun (Broad Rhymes): An auxiliary particle.
Jiyun (Collection of Rhymes): Indicates uncertainty. An exclamation particle used to introduce a further point.
Erya (Approaching Elegance): The phrase "mei you" carries the same meaning as sui.
Commentary: The Book of Odes (Shijing) says: Every time there is a good friend. Here, sui serves as a conjunction indicating a turn in thought.
Book of Rites (Liji): Although one may request to withdraw, it is permissible.
Sub-commentary: Sui indicates a hypothesis. In this context, it implies that if one were to request to withdraw, it would be acceptable.
Jade Chapters (Yupian): To speculate or conjecture.
Also interchangeable with the character wei (only). Book of Rites (Liji): Only the Son of Heaven receives the mandate from Heaven. Commentary: The character wei should be read as sui.
Xunzi (Master Xun): Do you now think that benevolence, righteousness, and legal standards are inherently incomprehensible and unattainable? If so, then even Yu would not understand benevolence and righteousness, nor could he practice them. Yang Liang commentary: Wei should be read as sui.
Textual Research:
Commentary: The Book of Odes (Shijing) reference to the Small Odes of the Kingdom (Xiaoya), Tangdi, has been corrected to reference the Book of Odes (Shijing).
Wu Yu (Discourses of Wu): I may not be able to achieve it, but I cannot bear to abandon it. Note: The original text uses the character xu, not sui. The eleven characters following the Wu Yu reference have been deleted, and the two phrases, when it is time to make a hypothetical request to withdraw then it is permissible, have been added under the sub-commentary for the Book of Rites (Liji) entry.
