Shen Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Grass (cǎo) Character: Yuan Kangxi Stroke Count: 20 Page 1062, Entry 49 Tang Dynasty Rhymes (Tangyun): Pronounced wei (rising tone). Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen): Grass. Also a surname. Zuo Tradition (Zuozhuan): The Chu state official Yuan Zifeng. Collected Rhymes (Jiyun): Pronounced yuan (rising tone). Yuanzhi, a medicinal herb. Sometimes written in a variant form (yuan).