Zi Collection, Upper Volume
Radical: Rain (yǔ)
Page 488, Entry 06
Pronounced su-diàn (departing tone) in "Rhymes of Tang (Tangyun)", and xiān-jiàn (departing tone) in "Collected Rhymes (Jiyun)" and "Standard Rhymes (Zhengyun)".
"The Greater Learning for Women (Erya)" states: "Yǔ mèi is xiāo xuě." The commentary explains: "Mèi and xiàn have the same sound and meaning." "Piya" states: "The character mèi is derived from xiàn with the omission of the bottom part, and xiāo is derived from xiāo with the omission of the bottom part." The "Book of Odes (Shijing)" says: "Seeing xiàn is called xiāo." It is likely that snow, when struck by a slight warmth, scatters and forms mèi. Guo Pu's statement that ice and snow falling together is called xiāo xuě means this.
The character was originally written as xiàn in "Explanations of Characters (Shuowen Jiezi)". It is also written as xiàn in "Jade Compendium (Yupian)". It is sometimes written as xiàn in "Collected Rhymes (Jiyun)". For detailed information, please refer to the annotation for the character xiàn later.