Hai Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Bird (niǎo) Xian (鷳) Kangxi stroke count: 23 Page 1501, Entry 06 Pronounced xian. According to the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), it is a type of owl. Also, there is the white pheasant (bai xian), a bird name. It resembles a mountain pheasant in shape, with a white body and black markings, a tail three to four feet long, and spurs and a beak that are entirely crimson, though some are blue-black. Sometimes written in a variant form (xian). According to the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao), Zhang Hua said: Because its movements are leisurely, it is called the pheasant (xian), and Li Fang named it the leisurely guest (xian ke). Note that the white pheasant is the same as the white han. In the Erya, the huan pheasant is a type of pheasant. The commentary states: It is the white zhuo. The character huan was originally formed from han, with the pronunciation han; since southerners today pronounce xian like han, then xian is simply a shift in the pronunciation of huan. The Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital (Xijing Zaji) states: The King of Nanyue offered one white pheasant and one black pheasant. Since pheasants can also be black, this clarifies the statement in the Erya regarding the orderly sea pheasant. Furthermore, xian is not a type of owl; the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi) is incorrect.