Zi Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Grass (cǎo) Page 100, Entry 03 Said in "Tang Yun" to be pronounced tu liao qie, and in "Zheng Yun" to be pronounced tian liao qie, sounding similar to "tiao." "Shuowen Jiezi" explains it as the flower of reeds. "Erya · Shicao" states that plants of the "wei" (reed) category all have a floral spike called "lian." "Erya Zhu" adds that these plants have a floral spike called "xiu sui." "Yun Hui" says this character is also a variant of "tiao," meaning it extends its branches far, blooms but has no calyx. People nowadays use it to make brooms, and the "tiao zhou" (broom) refers to it. Another pronunciation is du liao qie, sounding similar to "diao." The meaning is the same.