Zi Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Person (rén)
亿
Kangxi stroke count: 15
Page 118
Broad Rhymes (Guangyun): Pronounced yì
Collection of Rhymes (Jiyun), Rhyme Meetings (Yunhui): Pronounced yì; the pronunciation is the same as the character for chest or conjecture.
1. A number name; ten myriads (ten thousand) is called one hundred million. One theory suggests the value of this number is indefinite.
Book of Rites (Liji), Record of Family Affairs (Neize), Commentary on Bestowing Virtue upon the Multitude (Jiangde yu zhong zhaomin shu): In calculation methods, there are two ways to calculate the value of one hundred million. The small number method uses ten as the base for advancement, where ten myriads make one hundred million, and ten hundred million make one trillion. The large number method uses one myriad as the base for advancement, where one myriad times one myriad makes one hundred million.
2. Also signifies stability or peace.
Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan), Twenty-first Year of Duke Zhao: Lingzhou Jiu stated: If the heart is stable, then one will be happy.
Also, Thirtieth Year of Duke Zhao: Why not for the time being stabilize our spirits and deities?
3. Also signifies guessing or estimating.
Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan), Twenty-fifth Year of Duke Xiang: One cannot guess and indulge oneself.
Analects (Lunyu): Guessing often results in being correct.
4. Also, gongyi refers to supplying the destitute with items to ensure their stability.
Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan), Eleventh Year of Duke Yin: I have only these one or two fathers and brothers, and cannot supply what is needed.
5. Wu Youqing states: Yi refers to gambling. It involves guessing based on one's heart, similar to the shefu (divining by hiding objects) game of the Han dynasty, hence it is called yi.
6. Also used interchangeably with the character for chest or conjecture (yì).
History of the Former Han (Qian Hanshu), Chancellor of Pingduhou: My heart is sorrowful and filled with conjecture.
Textual research:
Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan), Twenty-fifth Year of Duke Xiang: One cannot indulge oneself through conjecture. The word by has been omitted here in accordance with the original text.
Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan), Eleventh Year of Duke Yin: My ruler has only these one or two fathers and brothers and cannot supply what is needed. The term my ruler has been corrected to I in accordance with the original text.
