Taxonomy of meanings for 事:　　

  • zì (OC: tsrɯs MC: tʂɨ) 側吏切 去 廣韻：【事刃又作剚倳 】
  • shì (OC: dzrɯs MC: dʐɨ) 鉏吏切 去 廣韻：【使也立也由也鉏吏切又側吏切二 】
    • what has occurred>EVENT
      • nabeventaffair; (historical) event, historical episode (e.g. a battle); particularly: noteworthy event. Often, in early texts: noteworty sacrificial event
      • nab.post-Vevent of V-ingDS
      • stative>SITUATION
        • nabstativesituation, what is really going on
        • nadVunder the circumstances
        • npost-Nthe matter of N; the problem of N [Note that the construction must probably be taken as one of apposition! CH]
        • abstract>REALITY
          • nabmetaphysicalfact; real state of affairs; Buddhist: concrete phenomenal world as opposed to the world of underlying principles
          • nab.post-Nmatters relating to NVK
          • nabhuman, generalisedhuman matters; human affairsCH
          • participant in>THING
            • nabmetaphysicalaffairs; matter, thing; subject matter (of a painting) 不然之事
            • nabbuddhistBUDDH: phenomenon (pertaining to the relative truth as opposed to lǐ 理 which points to underlying true nature of things)
            • nab{PRED}.post-Vbe an V matterCH
            • nmatter of any kindCH
            • declarative>REFER TO
              • naballusion
        • psychological: reaction to>WORRY
          • nabstativetroublesome affairs, troublesome eventualities 無事
          • vtoNworry aboutCH
      • event caused by an agent>ACT
        • nabactphysical action; undertakings; concrete implementations of official tasks
        • viacttake action, undertake projects
        • vtoNinterfere with; deal with
        • act on for ulterior purpose>USE
          • vtoNcausativeCAUSE TO ENGAGE IN ACTION> deploy (horses in battle); use (one's strength); set to work (people)
        • strenuous purposeful act>EFFORT
          • viactmake effort
          • nabacteffort used in the performance of work; strategic effort
          • imposed organised effort>WORK
            • nab.post-Nthe matter for which N is responsible, the task of N
            • nab.post-V{NUM}act(especially official) matter, especially: public task, official business; public event; public project, (military) undertaking, task; one's professional concern 五事
            • nab.red:-V{NUM}actevery task, every piece of work
            • nabactthe conduct of public affairs; official tasks and affairs; public affairs; public buinesss
            • viactengage in public or official work
            • vtoNwork at, try to achieve; busy oneself with, interfere with
            • nab.post-V{NUM}actkinds of official task
            • nab.post-Nthe public tasks and official affairs of NCH
            • vtoNoccupy oneself with in a public capacity, as public businessCH
            • nabcurrent tasks, current issues; important business to work onCH
            • nab[.post-N]his/one's own proper taskCH
            • nabact.pejorativemere public business; mundane affairs of this worldCH
            • nabactprofessionLZ
            • work in the employment of>SERVE
              • nabactpublic service; public tasks
              • nabactservice
              • vt[oN]enter service; serve one's ruler; servein public office
              • vt(oN)serve the contextually determinate person
              • vtoNserve N (as minister or aide, as one state another etc.), serve under; be in the service of; enter the services of;  serve and cultivate through gifts
              • vtoNcausativeto employ (somebody) for public service
              • vtoNpassivebe served
              • vtoNactserve (the spirits etc)
              • vttoN1+.vtoN2to serve (somebody N1) (through something N2)
              • vtoNimperativeserve N!CH
              • vtoNserve obediently as a guide or teacherCH
              • someone who serves in public capacity>OFFICIAL
                • nSHI: functionary
                • cause to become an official>EMPLOY
                  • vtoNemploy in service
          • purposeful aimed effort>STRIVE FOR
            • nab(.post-N)socialmain striving, main aim, main business
            • vt+prep+Npsychstrive particularly for, in practical as well as intellectual ways; be mainly concerned with
            • vtoNpsychhave as one's main concern; make something one's own business; show concern for
            • vt+V[0]have as one's task to VCH
        • literary: event indirectly referred to in literature>ALLUSION
          • nabsemanticallusion
      • polite circumlocution for>COPULATE
    • shìDIFFICULT
      • nabdifficulty, troubleCH
    • shìSTUDY
      • vtoNstudy in the service under NVK
    • zìDUTY
      • nab[post-N]psychone's moral dutyCH

    Additional information about 事

    說文解字: 【事】，職也。从史、㞢省聲。 【鉏史切】 【𠭆】，古文事。

      Criteria
    • WORK

      1. The current general term for work is gōng 工 (ant. xiū 休 "rest"), but the word refers specifically to skilled work.

      2. Shì 事 (ant. xián 閒 "be at leisure") refers primarily to an official or regular working effort made on behalf of and in the service of an employer or a ruler.

      3. Zuò 作 (ant. xí 息 "take a rest from work") refers to manual work.

      4. Chǎn 產 refers to the pursuance of a traditional family trade.

      5. Yè 業 refers to the pursuance of one's own professional career or one's career as a skilled artisan, farmer etc..

      6. Wù 務 refers to work imposed on one because of one's public employment.

      7. Shēng 生 can occasionally come to refer to something like one's daily work.

      8. Zhì 治 is mostly used verbally and refers to putting a coherent organised effort into something or work at something.

      9. Gān 干 is only used verbally and refers to the concerted effort or working towards an end.

    • WORRY

      1. The current general term for all sorts of troubled states of mind, as well as reasons for such states of mind, is yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "be well pleased" and lè 樂 "feel deep joy"), and this word may freely refer to troublesome matters of the present or of the future, and the word typiccally refers to a termporary state of hightened awareness of what is troublesome and concern about what should be done about it.

      2. Lu �慮 (ant. wàng 忘 "refuse to think about, ignore") refers to active reflection upon what one is worried about.

      3. Fán 煩 (ant. jìng 靜 "feel completely at peace") refers to a passive reaction of unsettled anxiousness about something other than oneself.

      4. Zào 躁 (ant. dìng 定 "be well-settled and unruffled") refers to the state of being flustered, restless and upset by worries.

      5. Jí 急 (ant. ān 安 "feel comfortable") refers to urgent and particularly acute temporary worries about something present or immediately imminent.

      6. Jí 疾 (ant. níng 寧 "feel at peace") refers to intense and profound worries about something present (and these worries may or may not be lasting).

      7. Huàn 患 (ant. lè 樂 "feel deeply happy with") refers to intense worry or concern about the possible future effects of something or the possibility of events in the future.

      8. Āi 哀 (ant. lè 樂 "feel perfectly happy with"), when it refers to intense worry rather than grief, connotes despondency and hopelessness and not just worry over possibilities.

      9. Chóu 愁 (ant. yuè 說／悅 "feel pleased"), and the rarer poetic sāo 騷, qiǎo 悄, tì 惕 refer to various shades and degrees of poetically conceived anxiousness.

      10. Shì 事 (ant. zhì 治 "well-ordered situation") can refer to the kinds of matters or affairs that cause one to be anxious or worried.

    • DECIDE

      1. The most common general word for making a decision is duàn 斷, which emphasis the definitiveness of what has been decided on, but speaks of the process by which that final decision is being reached rather than the result as such.

      2. Jué 決 focusses on the the result as such, and the word can be used about decisons already made where duàn 斷 seems excluded. ( 事已決 not: 事已斷矣 )

      3. Dìng 定 refers to the fixing something not only for oneself but primarily for others. See FIX

      4. Cái 裁 refers to the action of making a public decision as taken by a person in authority.

    • HISTORY

      史 refers to officials in charge of historical records on the one hand, and on compilations like those they compile on the other. The development of a standard current term for historia ipsa, the historical developments themselves, was late and still needs to be explored. In the Guodian Luncong 1 we find 春秋 for historiography contrasting with 古今之事.

    • SERVE

      1. The current general word for serving another is shì 事 (ant. shǐ 使 "deploy").

      2. Chén 臣 emphasises the subservience of the servant and his lasting employment in a subservient position.

      3. Shì 侍 and the rare and more elevated yù 御 refers specifically to physical attentance to the daily needs of a master, and it involves physical presence near him. See ACCOMPANY

      4. Shǐ 使 refers specifically to serving in a formal mission on behalf of a master.

      5. Fú 服 refers to the devoted service to a master.

      6. Cóng 從 refers to someone having decided to belong to the entourage or following of a master.

      7. Huàn 宦 refers to filling a typically menial position in a household.

    • ACT

      [AD-HOC/SYSTEMATIC]

      [AIMLESS/PURPOSEFUL]

      [ARTIFICIAL/NATURAL]

      [BASE/NOBLE]

      [BASIC/MARGINAL]

      [COMMENDATORY/DEROGATORY]

      [CONATIVE/PERFECTIVE]

      [DELIBERATE/INVOLUNTARY]

      [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

      [HABITUAL/OCCASIONAL]

      [HUMBLE/NOBLE]

      [PHYSICAL/MENTAL]

      [PRESCRIBED/SPONTANEOUS]

      [PRIVATE/PUBLIC]

      [RESPONSIBLE/UNACCOUNTABLE]

      1. The current general word for any deliberate behaviour one may be held morally and/or administratively responsible for is xíng 行 (ant. zhǐ 止 "decide not to take action"), and this conduct is typically one engaged in on someone else's behalf.

      [COMMENDATORY!], [GENERAL], [HABITUAL], [PHYSICAL], [RESPONSIBLE]

      2. Wéi 為 (ant. wú wéi 無為 "not engage in purposeful and result-orientated self-assertive action") focusses not on the act itself but primarily on the results achieved or aimed for.

      [OCCASIONAL], [PURPOSEFUL]

      3. Jū 居, when used in this meaning, focusses not on the results of one's actions, or on the effect of one's actions on others, but on the moral character of one's behaviour as such.

      [HABITUAL], [RESPONSIBLE], [SYSTEMATIC]

      4. Shì 事 (ant.* xián 閒 "take it easy") primarily focusses on action as part of the fulfilment of a duty imposed by one's station in life or a task one has set oneself.

      [PRESCRIBED], [PUBLIC!], [RESPONSIBLE]

      5. Gōng 躬 (ant.* shǐ rén 使人 "get others to...") focusses on a person of considerable social status engaging personally in a (typically public) action. See SELF.

      [MARGINAL], [NOBLE], [OCCASIONAL], [PUBLIC!]

      6. Wěi 偽 (ant. tiān 天 "natural") refers to artificial or faked human action. See PRETEND.

      [ARTIFICIAL], [DEROGATORY!]

      7. Dòng 動 (ant. jìng 靜 "decide to remain inactive") typically refers to spontaneous purposeful action and focusses almost philosophically on the autonomous decision of the agent to act.

      [OCCASIONAL], [DELIBERATE]

      8. Zuò 作 (ant. xí 息 "fail to take the initiative, fail to become active") refers to the taking of an initiative for an action which would not have occurred without such a deliberate initiative, and the word is naturally associated with the notion of creativity.

      SPONTANEOUS, OCCASIONAL, PERFECTIVE

      9. Jǔ 舉 refers specifically to the undertaking of a well-considered major act, particularly as part of a political strategy.

      [DELIBERATE], [PURPOSEFUL], [RESPONSIBLE]

      NB: Fēng 風 refers rather generally and abstractly to a person's or a group's way or pattern of behaviour, and the word is usually used as a noun. See CUSTOM

      10. Jiā 加 typically refers to action insofar as it affects others.

      11. Xí 習 refers to the habitual repeated practice of something in order to achieve proficiency in the kind of action concerned.

    • STRIVE FOR

      1. The current general word for striving for something as an important aim in one's life is wù 務.

      2. Shì 事 refers to working at something either because one has chosen to or because it is part of one's duties.

      3. Yè 業 refers to the making something one's professional concern.

      4. Lì 力 is occasionally used to refer to the putting every effort into something.

    • SITUATION

      1. The current general term for a constellation or situation of any kind is shì 勢.

      2. Zhuàng 狀 and xíng 形 can be used to emphasise the external appearance created by a situation.

      3. Shì 事 focusses on the factual sequence of events that create a shì 勢.

      4. Dì 地 sometimes comes to be used for a stage of a development.

    • EVENT

      Notions like "process", "development", "evolution", as opposed to "change", "transformation" are not current in ancient Chinese thought. In particular there is no word for "history". Gǔ shì 古事 is not current in ancient texts, and the combination gù shì 故事 is common, but it never belongs together, gù 故 always meaning "therefore".

      1. The current word for an event is shì 事.

    • THING

      1. The current standard word for any physical or non-physical object or creature is wù 物.

      2. Shì 事 refers to a things as a subject matter, or as an event.

      3. Shí 實 is a philosophical concept referring to any object or reality of any kind.

      Word relations
    • Conv: (SERVE)蓄 / 畜/REAR Xù 畜 refers primarily to the breeding of livestock, but is also used for humans under one's control and below one's status.
    • Ant: (SITUATION)理/PRINCIPLE Lǐ 理 refers to inherent structuring patterns of things.
    • Object: (WORK)敬/DILIGENT Jìng 敬 refers to respectful diligence in action.
    • Object: (SERVE)上/SUPERIOR
    • Object: (SERVE)主/RULER The current general word for a person in charge of others are zhǔ 主 (ant. pú 僕 "servant").
    • Object: (SERVE)君/RULER Jūn 君 (ant. chén 臣 "minister") refers specifically to someone who is politically or administratively in charge of others as a ruler.
    • Object: (SERVE)上/RULER Shàng 上 can refer to any governing authority or ruler, but by Han times the word became a standard polite way of referring to the Han emperor.
    • Object: (SERVE)父/FATHER The completely dominant word is fù 父
    • Object: (SERVE)父母/PARENT Fù mǔ 父母 refers to parents.
    • Object: (SERVE)師/TEACHER The current general word for a (revered) teacher of one's choice is shī 師.
    • Object: (WORK)從/WORK
    • Object: (WORK)慎/CAUTIOUS The dominant general word referring to wariness and circumspect action is shèn 慎 (ant. hū 忽 "slipshod").
    • Object: (WORK)操/ACT
    • Object: (THING)繪/PAINT
    • Object: (WORK)議/DISCUSS The current words for discussion are yì 議 "public discussion", and lùn 論 "discursive discourse; written summary discussion with a conclusion".
    • Object: (WORK)行/ACT The current general word for any deliberate action one may be held morally and/or administratively responsible for is xíng 行 (ant. zhǐ 止 "decide not to take action"). The nominal entries have the old reading xìng. [COMMENDATORY!], [GENERAL], [HABITUAL], [RESPONSIBLE]
    • Object: (SERVE)天/HEAVEN
    • Epithet: (SERVE)臣/MINISTER The general word for a government minister at any level and of any kind is chén 臣, generically rén chén 人臣.
    • Contrast: (WORK)作 / 作 / 作/WORK Zuò 作 (ant. xí 息 "take a rest from work") refers to manual work.
    • Contrast: (WORK)功/ACHIEVE Gōng 功 refers to the achievement of something regarded as important to others. See MERIT. [ALTRUISTIC], [IMPORTANT]; [NOUN]
    • Contrast: (SERVE)為/SERVE
    • Contrast: (WORK)功/WORK
    • Contrast: (ACT)道/METHOD Dào 道 is a way of being, of functioning, as well as a way of doing things, and this Way may be either exoteric or esoteric.
    • Assoc: (REALITY)情/REALITY Qíng 情 (ant. wěi 偽 "fake") and chéng 誠 (ant. zhà 詐 "fraudulent") are often used interchangeably to refer to the real facts versus what is pretended or what is merely superficial.
    • Assoc: (SITUATION)實/REALITY The current word referring to reality is shí 實 (ant. xū 虛 "pretended reality"), but the word acquired this meaning rather late (meaning "object" in earlier texts).
    • Assoc: (WORK)政/GOVERN Zhèng 政 refers to the basically bureaucratic administration of a state, practical implementation of governmental measures.
    • Synon: (STRIVE FOR)務/STRIVE FOR The current general word for striving for something as an important aim in one's life is wù 務.
    • Oppos: (THING)理/PRINCIPLE Lǐ 理 refers to inherent structuring patterns of things.
    • Oppos: (WORK)言/PROMISE Yán 言 refers to a typically somewhat formal speech act by which a person commits himself to a future action. Compare 言而有信 "keep faith when one has promised something".
    • Oppos: (ACT)辭/PROSE
    • Oppos: (EFFORT)教/DOCTRINE
    • Oppos: (SERVE)蓄 / 畜/REAR Xù 畜 refers primarily to the breeding of livestock, but is also used for humans under one's control and below one's status.
    • Oppos: (SERVE)交/INTERACT The general objective word referring to mutual social interaction is jiāo 交.
    • Oppos: (WORK)身/PERSON Shēn 身 regularly refers to the embodied person, as something to be cultivated, and as something to be morally careful about, but the word is originally widely used to refer to the physical body as such being at times hard to distinguish from the figurative use discussed in this group. The word is very often reflexive.
    • Oppos: (WORK)躬/SELF Gōng 躬 is a fairly rare archaic and idiomatically restricted word referrring to the agent himself.