Xu Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Food (shí) Character: hou Kangxi stroke count: 18 Page 911, Entry 01 Pronounced hou Explanation: Dried food. Xu Xuan says: People today refer to dried rice as hou. Book of Odes (Shijing), Greater Odes: Then packed dried provisions. Explication of Texts (Shiwen): hou, pronounced hou, means food.