Hai Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Bird (niǎo)
Yao
Kangxi stroke count: 21
Page 1497, Entry 08
Pronounced yao (falling tone)
Shuowen Jiezi (Shuowen) defines this as a bird of prey. It is the same as what is called a yin-fu-que. Liezi (Tianrui) states: The sparrow hawk becomes a goshawk, the goshawk becomes a cuckoo, and after a long time it becomes a sparrow hawk again; this is the transformation of things.
Pronounced yao (level tone)
Yupian (Yupian) defines this as a five-colored pheasant. Guangyun (Guangyun) defines this as the name of a large pheasant. Erya (Shiya) defines it as a yao-pheasant, with a note stating it has a blue substance with five colors.
Textual verification: The Shuowen defines this as a bird of prey. The note on the yao-pheasant in the Erya (Shiya) says it has a blue substance with five colors, which is what is called a yin-fu-huan. According to the text of the Erya, the pronunciation of yao in yao-pheasant is yao, which is classified under the pronunciation yao (level tone), not under yao (falling tone). Furthermore, the yao-pheasant is not a bird of prey and should not be placed under the definition of a bird of prey. Having examined the meaning of the text, the eleven characters from the Erya note stating it has a blue substance with five colors have been moved under the definition from the Guangyun regarding the name of a large pheasant, and in accordance with the Erya, huan has been corrected to que.