Wei Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Silk (mì) 縣 Kangxi strokes: 16 Page 934, Entry 23 Guangyun, Jiyun, Yunhui, Zhengyun: Pronounced xuan. Shuowen: To suspend. Note: Xu Xuan stated this character was originally used for hanging or suspending things and was borrowed to represent the administrative district. Modern common usage adds the heart radical to create the variant character xuan, but this has no legitimate basis in meaning. Book of Changes (Yijing), Xici: When the hanging images (sun and moon) become bright, nothing is greater than the sun and the moon. Book of Odes (Shijing), Zhousong: The drums are suspended in the fields. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Spring Offices, Xiaoxu: Adjust the positions of the suspended musical instruments. Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial (Yili), Yanli: The musicians suspend their instruments. Zuo Tradition (Zuozhuan), Second Year of Duke Cheng: Appearing at court with suspended musical instruments and ornate tassels. History of the Former Han (Qian Hanshu), Annals of Emperor Gao: Distant by a thousand miles, as if separated by counties. Also, Guangyun: Pronounced xuan (falling tone). Jiyun: Pronounced xuan (falling tone). Zhengyun: Pronounced xian (falling tone). Shiming: County (xian) is to hang (xuan); it is something hung or tied to the commandery. Guangyun: Originally written as huan. When King Zhuang of Chu conquered Chen, he established a county, and the name county began from this time. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Heavenly Offices, Dazai: The taxes of the states and counties. Note: The state and county occupy four hundred li. Also, Earth Offices, Xiaositu: Four dian units make a county. Also, Suiren: Five bi units make a county. Discourses of the States (Guoyu), Lu Yu: Three xiang units make a county. Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Annals of Qin Shi Huang: How vast is the territory within the empire. Note: County refers to the Nine Provinces (chi xian). Book of the Former Han (Qian Hanshu), Treatise on Geography: Dividing the world into commanderies and counties. Also, Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), House of Marquis Jiang, Note: The government (xian guan) refers to the Son of Heaven. The king governs the world as a public trust, therefore it is called the government. Also a surname. Book of Rites (Liji), Qu Li: Xian Benfu. Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Biographies of Confucius' Disciples: Xian Danfu. According to the Shuowen, this was in the (silk) radical; it is now merged into this section.