Taxonomy of meanings for 休:　　

  • 休 xiū (OC: qhu MC: hiu) 許尤切 平 廣韻：【美也善也慶也息也又木名許尤切十三 】
    • REST
      • nabactstop, rest
      • viacttake a rest; rest at, put up at
      • viimperativerest!
      • vt+prep+Nrest at the place N
      • vtoNcausativeallow to rest (e.g. the army); give peace to
      • vtoNpermissiveallow oneself to rest
      • vtoNfind one's repose in, rest inCH
      • vadNrestful (time etc)CH
      • exocentric: time when> HOLIDAY
        • feature> HAPPY
          • nabpsychhappiness
          • vibe happy
          • vtoNcause to be happy
          • coincidental> LUCK
            • nblessings (from Heaven) 天休（庥）
            • vadNBLESSING
            • vienjoy good fortune
            • vt+prep+Nbring good luck to; send blessings toCH
          • generalised> EXCELLENT
            • vadNdistinguished (command etc)
            • vibe excellent and authoritative; be distinguished
        • cease> STOP
          • vadN(time) when one stops
          • viactdesist, cease; stop going on
          • vtoNcausativeget to stop; put an end to
          • vtoNreflexive.自stop oneselfCH
          • grammaticalised: DON'T
            • cease being where one was> LEAVE
                • causative> DIVORCE
                  • vtoNpost-Han: TANG BIANWEN: divorce (one's wife)
          • grammaticalised> MODAL PARTICLES

            Additional information about 休

            說文解字: 【休】，息止也。 〔唐寫本木部殘卷作「止息也。」〕 从人依木。 【許尤切】 【庥】，休或从广。

              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.

            • LUCK

              1. The dominant general word for good fortune is fú 福 (ant. huò 禍 "misfortune"), and the dominant general word for good luck is xìng 幸 (ant. yāng 殃 "misfortune").

              2. Lù 祿 and the rare xiū 休 / 庥 are elevated and archaising words referring to blessings from Heaven.

              3. Zuò 祚 is a very elevated and archaising word referring to blessings from Heaven as given to states or great clans and the like.

              4. Yù 裕 (ant. fá 乏 "shortage sent down by Heaven") is an elevated word referring to abundant blessings from Heaven.

            • STOP

              1. The standard current word for ceasing in an activity is zhǐ 止 (ant. xíng 行 "carry on with"), and this word can to any concrete or abstract activity; the ceasing may be final or temporary.

              2. Definitive discontinuation, often of inanimate processes, is yǐ 已 (ant. zuò 作 "break into action"). See FINISH.

              3. Bà 罷 is to deliberately discontinue a course of action one is embarked on, particularly a military action.

              4. Ceasing in a human activity, for a while, is xí 息 and the somewhat rarer xiū 休 (all ant. zuò 作 "break into action").

              5. Jué 絕 (ant. jì 繼 "continue") is to disrupt one's current (human) activity, and fèi 廢 (ant. qín 勤 "continue to make a serioues effort") is to discontinue such an acitivity permanently.

              6. Shě 舍 (often negated) is to relent in a certain activity.

              7. Chuò 輟 (ant.* láo 勞 "put in a continued honest effort") is temporary discontinuation of human action.

              8. Zhì 滯 can be used to refer to the involuntary discontinuation in an activity.

              9. Xiē1 歇 refers to the discontinuation of a process (like that of worrying).

            • REST

              1. The current general word for resting is xí 息 (ant. zuò 作 "work").

              2. Xiū 休 (ant. láo 勞 "work hard") refers to brief break in a working process.

              3. Yàn 晏 (ant. qín 勤 "work assiduously") refers to relaxing at home.

              4. Qì 憩 (ant. xīn 辛 "work strenuously until exhaustion") is an elevated poetic word for resting.

              NB: Xiē 歇 is post-Han.

            • DIVORCE

              1. The standard word for divorce refers only to the husband sending away his wife: chū 出.

              NB: Xiū 休 is post-Han, Tang.

              Word relations
            • Object: (REST)兵/ARMY Bīng 兵 "armed force" focusses on the weapons ready for use and may refer to any military grouping. [GENERAL]
            • Epithet: (REST)不/NOT
            • Assoc: (REST)息/REST The current general word for resting is xí 息 (ant. zuò 作 "work").
            • Synon: (STOP)輟/STOP Chuò 輟 (ant.* láo 勞 "put in a continued honest effort") is temporary discontinuation of human action.