Xu Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Leather (wéi)
Wei
Kangxi Stroke Count: 21
Page 1395, Entry 18
Pronounced wei (rising tone)
Explanation (Shuowen): Originally written as a variant form, it denotes a state of lush abundance. The character structure consists of a component meaning lush and the component meaning leather as the phonetic indicator.
Description: Describes the appearance of flowers in full bloom.
Book of Odes (Shijing), Xiao Ya section: The flowers of the cherry tree, how bright and lush they are.
Commentary (Zhuan): The term lush means bright and radiant.
Dictionary of Sounds and Meanings (Jiyun) and Classified Dictionary (Leipian): Also written in a variant form.
Textual Research: In the Book of Odes (Shijing), Xiao Ya section, it reads the flowers of the cherry tree. According to the original text, the character tang has been corrected to chang.