Xu Collection, Lower Volume
Radical: Eat (shí)
Su
Kangxi strokes: 16
Page 1420, Entry 20
Pronounced su. Food within a tripod cauldron. Book of Changes (Yijing), Tripod Hexagram: The tripod breaks its feet, spilling the prince's food. The Correct Meaning (Zhengyi) states: Su refers to meat porridge or other delicacies of the eight precious foods, which are the contents of a tripod. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Office of Heaven, Officer of Preserves, Notes on Thickened Grain: Thickened grain is vegetable porridge that has been steamed. The Commentary (Shu) states: This is similar to modern vegetable cooking, which is called steamed vegetables. Also, pronounced cu. The meaning is the same. The Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters (Shuowen) states that it was originally written in a variant form. The Collected Rhymes (Jiyun) states it is also written in a variant form.