Chen Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Tree (mù)
枻
Kangxi Strokes: 9
Page 517, Entry 16
Pronounced ye. According to the Classic of Characters (Yupian), it refers to an oar. In the Songs of Chu (Chuci), in the Fisherman (Yufu) section: Smiling softly, he beat the oar and departed. In Sima Xiangru's Rhapsody on the Master of Emptiness (Zixu fu): Lifting a cassia-wood oar. In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), it is written as 枻, while in the Selection of Refined Literature (Wenxuan), it is written as a variant form (yì); these are ancient interchangeable characters. Also, pronounced xie. In the Xunzi, in the section on Refuting Physiognomy (Fei xiang): An apparatus for straightening bows and crossbows. Yang Liang's commentary states that 枻 is pronounced xie.