Wu Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Cave (xué) Kangxi stroke count: 5 Page 862, Entry 20 Ancient form. Pronounced xué. From Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters): An earth dwelling. From Book of Changes (Yijing), Appended Statements: In high antiquity, people lived in caves and dwelt in the wild. From Book of Odes (Shijing), Greater Odes: Potting covers and potting caves. Commentary: Before there were sleeping chambers or ancestral temples, people covered themselves and lived in caves. Also, from Jade Manual (Yupian): A hole or aperture. From Mencius: Drilling holes or cracks to peep at one another. Also, from Extensive Rhymes (Guangyun): A burrow. From Book of Changes (Yijing), Waiting Hexagram: Emerging from a cave. Also, defined as sideways or slanted. From Erya, Explaining Water: Springs that emerge from the side (gui) are called xue. Xue means to emerge slanted. Also, a title of an official. From Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Autumn Office: The Cave Official manages the hunting of hibernating beasts. Commentary: Since all beasts hide in caves, this position was named the Cave Official to oversee the capture of hibernating creatures. Also, a place name. From Book of Documents (Shangshu), Tribute of Yu: Birds and rats share the same cave. From Erya, Explaining Earth: From the state of Qi to the south, the place that carries the sun is called the Cinnabar Cave. From Zuo Tradition (Zuo Zhuan), 11th Year of Duke Wen: Pan Chong attacked the state of Jun, reaching Xixue. Commentary: Xixue is a location within Jun. From Commentary on the Water Classic (Shuijing Zhu): The mountain to the west of Zhonglu County is called Maxue Mountain. From Zuo Si, Rhapsody on the Capital of Shu (Shu Du Fu): Excellent fish emerge from Bingxue. Commentary: Bingxue is located north of Mianyang County in Hanzhong. Also, pronounced xué. From History of the Former Han (Qian Hanshu), Treatise on Astronomy: Halos, sun-dogs, and cave-like marks. Commentary: Meng Kang says: The word xue is sometimes written as jue, as its shape resembles a buckle (jue). Ru Chun says: Any atmospheric vapor appearing above the sun is a crown or cap; appearing to the side and pointing straight is an ear; appearing to the side like a half-ring facing the sun is an embrace; facing outward is a back; having vapor piercing the sun is a buckle. A buckle is to gouge or injure. Also, rhyming with the pronunciation guì. From Cao Zhi, Seven Exhortations (Qi Qi): Gathering talents from humble positions, manifesting imperial brilliance in rocky caves. This is the autumn for Ning Zi to sing his songs, and the reason Lu Wang cast his fishing line and departed. Also, pronounced hú. From Huainanzi, Original Way (Yuan Dao Xun): Water creatures live in burrows and caves, while people have houses. From Kong Rong, Poem: Words that are too numerous lead to failure; a leaking vessel is difficult to seal tight. A river collapses from an ant hole; a mountain crumbles due to an ape's den. Textual verification: In Zuo Tradition, 11th Year of Duke Wen, concerning the passage reaching Xixue, the character xi has been corrected to the form with the metal radical based on the original text.