Chen Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Tree (mù). 13 Kangxi strokes. Page 540, Entry 01.
Pronounced zhen.
As defined in the Analytical Dictionary of Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), this refers to a hard wood.
In the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), it is noted that Mount Tai has many zhen trees. In the commentary by Guo, it is identified as the female zhen, which does not wither in winter.
It also refers to the support pillars used when building a wall. In the Book of Documents (Shujing), specifically the Speech at Fei, it mentions raising one's support pillars. The commentary by Kong explains that the piece at the top is called zhen, while the side pieces are called gan. The zhen is positioned at the two ends of the wall, and the gan is placed along the two sides of the wall.
It also refers to Zhenlin, the name of a county. According to the Geography Chapter of the History of the Former Han (Qianhan Shu), it belonged to the Shang Commandery.
Textual research: In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the text mentions many zhen-nü. In accordance with the original text, zhen-nü has been corrected to zhen tree.