It is defined as a general name for the combinations of the 5 notes of the ancient scale and the 8 musical sounds (line 88). Read lo4, it means pleasure, joy, content.
Pei was originally written without its present radical at the left, under which form it has been explained as an ideogram composed of 苟 kou if (abbreviated, see line 5) over 用 yung to use = if wanted for use, suggesting ready, prepared.
| 155. | 曰 | 國 | 風 | We speak of the Kuo fêng, | |
| Yüeh4 | kuo2 | fêng1 | |||
| Speak | State | wind |
Yüeh see line 57.
Kuo is composed of 或 huo some one, perhaps, as phonetic, in an obsolete word meaning enclosure, as radical.
Fêng is composed of 虫 ch'ung insects, abbreviated from 蟲, and 凡 fan all (line 107) as phonetic. It is formed with insect because when the wind blows in spring, insects are called into existence. It was one of the 540 Radicals of the Shuo Wên retained among the 214 Radicals of K'ang Hsi's dictionary, and is here elliptical for 風俗 fêng su wind common = manners and customs. [Kuo fêng, the manners and customs of the States, is the title of the first section of the Book of Poetry (line 135). It is so called because it was customary for the various rulers of the Feudal States to forward to their suzerain, 天子 t'ien tzŭ the Son of Heaven, such ballads as were commonly sung by the people under their jurisdiction. These were then submitted to the Imperial Musicians, who were able to judge from their nature of the manners and customs prevailing in the various States, and the suzerain was thus enlightened as to the administration of his vassal Princes.]
