Xu Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Eat (shí) Kangxi Strokes: 13 Page 1417, Entry 19 Ancient form: Lin. Pronounced yin (rising tone). Jade Chapters (Yupian): To swallow water. Also to sip. Explication of Names (Shiming): To drink (yin) means to gulp (yan). It is to take into the mouth and swallow. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Offices of Heaven, Chef: Use six types of clear liquids for drinking. Also, Wine Official: Distinguish the four types of drinks: the first is clear, the second is medicinal, the third is gruel, and the fourth is thick broth. Annotation: The clear refers to the filtered portion of sweet wine; the medicinal is what the Book of Rites (Liji) refers to as thick broth; the gruel is modern sour gruel; the thick broth is modern porridge. Also, to rinse. Ceremonial and Rituals (Yili), Rituals for Feeding Official Guests: The guest sits, makes a sacrifice, then drinks and places the vessel on the sacrificial stand. Annotation: To drink here means to rinse. Also, to conceal. History of the Later Han (Houhanshu), Biography of Cai Yong: Cai Yong submitted a petition saying: Once I am in prison, I shall be pressured by torture and pain; if I conceal (yin) the facts of the case, how could I ever be heard again? Annotation: The term here means to hide, referring to anonymous documents. Also, Correct Character Comprehensive (Zhengzitong): In musical theory, there is the concept of sounding-drink, where sounds rotate and harmonize. Emperor Wu of Liang created four instruments called Tong; each had three strings used to adjust the clarity, turbidity, pitch, and depth of sound. Also, a drinking vessel; a chamber pot. Strategies of the Warring States (Zhan Guo Ce): Zhao Xiangzi killed Zhi Bo and lacquered his skull to use as a drinking vessel. Annotation: A chamber pot. Some say a wine vessel. Also, to receive an arrow is called drinking an arrow. Guo Pu, Praise of the Dragon: Emperor Wu of Han drank the feathers (referring to an arrow). Pronounced yin (falling tone). To provide drink to someone. Book of Rites (Liji), Tan Gong: Pour and give the ruler a drink. Zuo Tradition (Zuo Zhuan), Twenty-sixth Year of Duke Zhao: The people of Cheng attacked the Qi army that was watering (drinking) their horses at the Zi River. Also, Zhuangzi, Ze Yang: Or, without speaking, one may imbue (drink) others with harmony. Explanation of Simple and Compound Characters (Shuowen): Sometimes written as a variant form. Commonly written as the current character. For further details, see the note under the character Yin in the Wine radical. Textual Research: In the Rites of Zhou, Wine Official, distinguishing the four types of drinks, one is called clear; the annotation says clear is the filtered portion of wine. We have corrected wine to sweet wine and filtered to filtered according to the original annotation.