Shen Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Insect (chóng). Character: Earthworm. Kangxi stroke count: 10. Page 1077, Entry 35. Tang Rhyme (Tangyun): Pronounced yin (rising tone). Collected Rhymes (Jiyun) and Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun): Pronounced yin (rising tone). Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen): A variant form of the character for earthworm. Book of Rites (Liji), Monthly Ordinances (Yueling): Earthworms emerge. Mencius (Mengzi): If one upholds the principles of Master Zhong, then one must become like an earthworm. Materia Medica (Bencao): The earthworm is also called the crooked crawler or the earth dragon, and is used in medicine. Those with white necks are the old ones. Literary Expositor (Erya) calls them qin-yin, while the people of Ba call them qu. Continued Records of Broad Investigations (Xu bowuzhi): The earthworm hums long in the earth; in the region east of the Yangtze River, they are called singing girls. Amplified Records (Piya): The earthworm is the essence of the soil, a creature without a heart, which mates with the locust. Also known as the cold earthworm. See the entry for the character qian. Also known as the mountain earthworm. Corrected Character Comprehensive Guide (Zhengzitong): The name of a snake. As large as an earthworm, it has scales, and its tail resembles its head. Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun): Generally written as the character for earthworm. Collected Rhymes (Jiyun): Also written in a variant form.