Wu Collection, Lower Volume
Radical: Claw (ròu)
Stroke count: 9
Page 848, Entry 02
Pronounced yu. This is the title of a ruler of the Xia Dynasty. Yan Shigu states that Yu and Tang were names used as titles; the three kings of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties moved away from the refined elegance of the era of Tang Yao to pursue the simplicity of ancient times, which is why the rulers of the Xia and Shang dynasties used their personal names as titles.
It is also a surname. Wang Zengru’s Record of One Hundred Clans (Baijia Pu) records that Xiao Daoyou of Lanling married a woman with the surname Yu.
It is also a type of posthumous title. The Pei commentary to the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) states that one who accepts an abdication and achieves great merit is called Yu. The Book of Documents (Shujing) commentaries state that an origin that is deep and distant and flows without obstruction is called Yu.
Additionally, the Jade Chapters (Yupian) defines it as to stretch or expand. The Explanation of Simple and Compound Characters (Shuowen Jiezi) defines it as a type of insect.