Shen Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Insect (chóng). Character: xi. Kangxi stroke count: 16. Page 1092, Entry 30. Pronounced xi. According to the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen), the term xili refers to the cicada. The Discourses on Salt and Iron (Yantielun) states: Have you scholars not observed the cicadas in late summer? Their sounds fill the ears, yet when the autumn winds blow, they become silent. This is also cross-referenced in the notes for the characters gu and chan. Also, regarding the term xie, see the notes for the character xie. Pronounced xi. It is a variant form of the character for a type of earth bee.