244 - BOTANICON SINICUM. 
“ereeper with abruptly pinnate leaves, yellow flowers and a_ 
pentagonal spinous fruit. 
The Shuo wen explains the character ts‘e’ by to thatch a 
house with the mao and we? rushes [v. infra, 459, 459]. 
Li sao, 23, where the character is written @® [sce quotation 
supra, 421]. 
P. XVI, 86, tsi li. The ancient authors quoted say that 
the fruit of the tsi l/ resembles that of the ling or water 
caltrop, but is smaller, has three horns and is prickly. It has 
yellow flowers. There is another kind growing on sandy 
ground. It has small leaves, yellowish purple flowers 
resembling pea flowers, and produces pods (thus probably a 
leguminous plant). Drawings of the tsi li or Tribulus are 
found in the Kiu huang, LI, 8, and Ch., XI, 27. 
Phon zo, XX, 16, JE #i, Tribulus terrestris. 
V. supra, go. Fap., 2221. 
428.—% Shi. This is the divining plant, the stalks of which 
were used in ancient times for the purpose of divination. 
It is once mentioned in the Shi king [225] :—Cold come the 
waters down from that spring and overflow the bushy 
divining plant. 
Cuu Hr explains shi by $€ 38 (divining plant). — 
Chou li, U1, 80 :—L/officier de la plante divinatoire ( a A 
shi jen) s'occupe des trois méthodes des changements, et 
distingue les noms des neuf devins par la plante chi (shi). 
Les neuf devins servent pour distinguer le bonheur et bee 
malheur. Dans toutes les grandes affaires d’état, d *abord on 
fait la divination par la plante chi; ensuite on augure par la 
_ tortue. Au commencement du printemps le méme tiers - 
fait Pinspection des plantes divinatoires. a 
Li ki, 1, 94:—On the subject of Divination. Divination 2 
by the tortoise-shell (§ kui) is called } pu; divination by 2 
the stalks (BK ts‘e) is called Hf shi, The two were the 
methods by which the ancient wise kings made the people ae 
