Xu Collection, Upper Volume
Radical: Gate (mén)
Wen
Kangxi strokes: 16
Page 1337, Entry 19
According to the Five Tones Collected Rhymes (Wuyin Jiyun), pronounced wen. To look down. The same as the character meaning to look down. Also, in the Biography of the Five Sons of Emperor Wu of the Former Han (Qianhan Wuwuzi Zhuan): Wenxiang. The commentary by Meng Kang states: Wen is the ancient form of the character for hear (wen). The character structure is composed of Gate and an internal element. During the Jian'an period, it was changed to be written as the modern character for hear. Yan Shigu states: The character Wen originally combined Gate and an internal element, but through successive errors in transcription, it became written with the character for receive inside the Gate. Guo Pu actually provided a pronunciation that is far removed from the original intent. According to the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), the character meaning to look down is defined as such, and the Broad Rhymes (Guangyun) states that Wen is the vulgar form of that character. However, the commentary on the History of the Former Han (Hanshu) considers Wen to be the ancient form of the character for hear. Since the character meaning to look down and the character for hear have different meanings, and considering Wen as the ancient form of the latter is especially difficult to understand, it should naturally be based on the account provided in the Broad Rhymes.