Xu Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Food (shí) Kangxi Strokes: 15 Page 1419, Entry 01 Ancient character. Pronounced xiang (falling tone). Shuowen Jiezi (Explanation of Simple and Compound Characters): Means to provide food for someone. Yupian (Jade Chapters): Means to present food as a gift. Jiyun (Collection of Rhymes): Bringing food to those working in the fields is called xiang. Book of Documents (Shangshu), Zhonghui’s Announcement: The Count of Ge was an enemy to those providing food. Commentary: The Count of Ge wandered about and saw farmers being provided with food in the fields. He killed the people and seized their food; therefore, it is said he was an enemy to those providing food. Also, Zhengzitong (Correction of Character Meanings): Used interchangeably with the character for bestowing a gift. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), Biography of Emperor Wen of Wei, Commentary: He presented his own Dian Lun (Authoritative Discourses) and poetic compositions as a gift to Sun Quan. Also, Zhengzitong: Today, common parlance refers to military rations as xiang, sometimes pronounced xiang (falling tone) or xiang (falling tone). Also, Jiyun and Zhengyun (Correct Rhymes): Pronounced shang (rising tone). Also, Jiyun: Pronounced shang. The meaning is the same. Jiyun: Also written in variant forms.