Classic of Poetry
The earliest recorded textual usage of "xiao" 嘯 or 歗 meant "wail" not "whistle". Three (c. 10th-7th century BCE) "Shijing" "Classic of Poetry" odes use "xiao" to describe heartbroken women expressing sadness. Since the ancient, lyrical language of the "Shijing" can be difficult to interpret, the English translations of James Legge, Arthur Waley, and Bernhard Karlgren are cited.