Mao Collection, Upper Volume
Radical: Heart (xīn)
Strokes in Kangxi Dictionary: 13
Page 393, Entry 26
Pronounced xuan (falling tone). According to the Tang Rhyme (Tangyun) and the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is pronounced the same as xuan (rising tone). According to the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), it describes a person with a broad and calm temperament. The character is formed by the radical for Heart and the phonetic component for xuan. It appears in the Book of Odes (Shijing), in the Odes of Wei section, in the phrase: How grand, how broad. According to the Extensive Rhyme (Guangyun), it is pronounced xuan (level tone), and according to the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is also pronounced xuan (level tone), the same as xuan (level tone). The Extensive Rhyme (Guangyun) records that it is a term used by people in the Wu region meaning to feel carefree or relaxed. The Comprehensive Elegance (Tongya) explains that to be carefree is called xuan. According to the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is also pronounced xuan (level tone), with the same meaning.