a common phonetic. It means a tumulus, especially of a tomb. Chin-ling is here an old name for Nanking, the southern capital, which had also been the capital under the Eastern Chin dynasty (line 226).
231. | 北 | 元 | 魏 | The northern dynasties are the Wei dynasty of the Yüan family | |
Pei3 | yüan2 | wei4 | |||
North | yüan | wei |
Pei see line 61.
Yüan see line 94. Here a surname.
Wei see line 223. [The Northern Wei dynasty was founded in A.D. 386 by a Tartar of the 拓跋 Toba family, which name was changed by a later Emperor to 元 Yüan. Eitel wrongly translates "The northern (Toba, subsequently called) Yuen, family established the Wei dynasty." The construction however is peculiar, there being a pause at pei, the influence of which extends down to line 234.]
232. | 分 | 東 | 西 | which split into Eastern and Western Wei, | |
Fên1 | tung1 | hsi1 | |||
Divide | east | west |
Fên is composed of 八 pa divide (line 88), its old radical, and 刀 tao a knife, its modern radical. Read fen4 it means share, portion.
Tung see line 62.
Hsi see line 62. [In A.D. 534 the Northern Wei came to an end, and from its ruins arose the short-lived Eastern and Western branches which were displaced by the Ch'i and Chou (see lines 233, 234) dynasties, respectively.]