Words of the Day: Su Shi is a Dorky Word Nerd.

Before I start, the character “鳩,” which is some type of sea bird, has the character for "9" to the left.

The quirky anecdote:

One day Wang Anshi and Su Shi were having a chat, and Wang An Shi asks, "Odd, why does "鳩" (seabird) have the characters "九" (nine) and "鳥" (bird)?"

Su Shi replies, " The Book of Odes quotes: '鳲鳩 (Shijiu) birds on the mulberry, there are 7 children.'  If we count seven children with momma and papa bird, we get nine right?"

憑ping2

lean on, rely on

研究國字的構造和起源，不用比較法，卻憑幻想的活用。

Analyzing the country's word construction and origin did not use comparison, but relied on active imagination.

歸謬法gui1miu4fa3

**Side note: This is the first time I've seen anything pronounced MEE-YOH in Chinese

Reductio ad absurdum (Latin: "reduction to absurdity"; pl.: reductiones ad absurdum), also known as argumentum ad absurdum (Latin: argument to absurdity), is a common form of argument which seeks to demonstrate that a statement is true by showing that a false, untenable, or absurd result follows from its denial,^[1] or in turn to demonstrate that a statement is false by showing that a false, untenable, or absurd result follows from its acceptance. 

蘇軾喜歡用歸謬法。

Su Shi loved using reductio ad aburdum.