Mao Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Axe (jīn) New Kangxi Strokes: 13 Page 480, Entry 10 Ancient form. Pronounced xin. As defined in the Analytical Dictionary of Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), it refers to the felling of timber. Also, as defined in the Extensive Glossary (Boya), it means beginning. Book of Changes (Yijing), Great Accumulation hexagram: To renew one's virtue daily. Book of Documents (Shujing), Expedition of Yin: All are given the opportunity to make a fresh start. Book of Odes (Shijing), Odes of Bin: Its newness is very auspicious. Book of Rites (Liji), Monthly Ordinances: In the first month of autumn, when the farmers have harvested the grain, the Son of Heaven tastes the new crop and first offers it in the ancestral temples. Also, in the Official History of the Tang Dynasty (Tangshu), Treatise on Rituals and Music: On New Year's Day, the ministers offer congratulations for a thousand autumns and ten thousand years; the imperial decree refers to it as the celebration of the renewal. Also a surname. Discourses of the States (Guoyu): Xin Muzi. Also a compound surname. Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Biography of Lu Zhonglian: Xinyuan Yan. The Commentary (Zhu) notes: Xinyuan is the surname, Yan is the personal name, and he was a general of the state of Liang. Also the name of a prefecture. In the Han Dynasty, it belonged to Hepu Commandery; in the Liang Dynasty, it was established as Xin Prefecture. Also, Book of Odes (Shijing), Lesser Odes: We pick the vegetable herbs in those new fields. The Commentary by Zhu (Zhu Zhuan) states: Land cultivated for one year is called zi, and for two years it is called new field. Also, as a phonetic supplement, rhyming with su qian. Daoist Canon Songs (Daozang Ge): The end of an era returns to the beginning of an era, increasingly aware of the spiritual countenance, which is new. The forest of the Dao flourishes in the heavenly capital, casting light downward upon the other immortals.