Wei Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Silk (mì) Character: Zōu Kangxi Stroke Count: 14 Page 929, Entry 03 Guangyun and Zhengyun: Pronounced zōu. Jiyun and Yunhui: Pronounced zōu. According to the Shuo Wen Jie Zi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters), this refers to the blue-red color of silk. According to the Guang Ya (Erudite Refinements), it is a pale blue color. According to the Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), in the section on the Winter Office, Craftsman Record, the Zhong lineage states that the color is achieved after five dyeings. The commentary states that to dye a light red color, one dyes it three times; if one dyes it twice more with black, it becomes zōu. In contemporary ritual customs, the character is often written as the character for sparrow, implying a color like that of a sparrow's head. According to the Analects (Lunyu), a gentleman does not use dark red or zōu for clothing trim. He Yan's commentary notes that for the three-year mourning period, one uses zōu as garment trim. The sub-commentary explains that zōu is a light crimson color. According to the Huainanzi (Huainanzi), if one uses black dye to color zōu, it becomes darker than the black dye itself. Additionally, according to the Guangyun, pronounced zōu. According to the Jiyun, pronounced zōu. The meaning is the same. Additionally, according to the Guangyun, pronounced zōu. According to the Jiyun, pronounced zōu. The meaning is the same. Additionally, according to the Jiyun, pronounced zōu. The meaning is the same.