Wei Collection, Upper Volume
Radical: Bamboo (zhú)
Kangxi Strokes: 15
Page 890, Entry 23
Pronounced shěng. According to Expanded Rhymes (Guangyun), Ling-sheng refers to a wicker cage or basket. According to Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is also pronounced xǐng, and Ling-sheng refers to the body of a carriage.
Also pronounced xīng. In New Accounts of the Tang (Datang Xinyu), it is noted that fishing implements are collectively called ling-sheng. According to the biography of Yuan Jie, his own commentary states: One who is able to carry a fishing basket may remain solitary and preserve life; one who is able to endure harsh words may preserve their lineage and keep their family intact. In this context, the words are rhymed, so sheng is pronounced with an even tone to rhyme with sheng.
Furthermore, in poems by Su Shunqin, Lu You, Huang Tingjian, Qin Guan, and Tao Zongyi, the term ling-sheng is consistently read with an even tone, falling into the category of the rhyme group qing.