Wei Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Rice (mǐ) Xian Kangxi strokes: 8 Page 849, Entry 01 Collected Rhymes (Jiyun): Pronounced xian. Originally written as xian. Yang Xiong's Dialects (Fangyan): In the Jiangnan region, late-ripening rice is called xian. Sometimes also written in a variant form. Also written in a variant form. Xian Broad Rhymes (Guangyun), Collected Rhymes (Jiyun): Pronounced xian. Yang Xiong's Dialects (Fangyan): In the Jiangnan region, late-ripening rice is called xian. Sometimes also written in a variant form.