Taxonomy of meanings for 佐:　　

  • 佐 zuǒ (OC: skaals MC: tsɑ) 則箇切 去 廣韻：【助也則箇切六 】
    • ASSISTANT
      • n(post-N)(senior) assistant of a contextually determinate N
      • DELETEassistant in charge of small matters
      • vtoNserve as a (senior) assistant under
    • HELP
      • v[adN]an aide
      • vtoNhelp with (the charioteering); assist in (government) assist in an official capacity (as aide, a person of superior status); ZHOULI: assist (the king) [support][CA]
      • vtt(oN.)+V[0]help the contextually determinate N to V
      • vttoN.+V[0]help N to V
    • LEAD
      • vtoNbe second in command over
    • MALES OF QI
    • zuǒUNIMPORTANT
      • n[adN]secondarily important thing, next important thingCH

    Additional information about 佐

    說文解字:

      Criteria
    • HELP

      1. The most general current word for helping someone else to perform a task is probably zhù 助 (ant. zǔ 阻 "hinder") which can refer to support given to men or other creatures.

      2. Yuán 援 typically refers to spontaneous unsolicited and enthusiastic help.

      3. Zuǒ 佐, yòu 佑 (deriving their meaning from the position of aides near the ruler), and also fǔ 輔 refer to official assistance in a formal context.

      4. Fú 扶 is specifially help to those much in need of support.

      5. Yì 益 (ant. sǔn 損 "act to hinder someone's progress") refers to support for someone who is already fairly well equipped for the task he or she gets support for.

      6. Jiǎ 假 refers to - not necessarily overt - discreet support.

      7. Zī 資 refers primarily to providing material support, but the word came to have common wider, generalised applications.

      8. Jì 濟 refers to acute help for a current difficult task.

      9. Yòu 祐 is a very ancient word referring specifically to assistance afforded by supernatural forces.

    • ASSISTANT

      [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

      [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

      [HUMBLE/NOBLE]

      [PRECISE/VAGUE]

      [TECHNICAL-TERM/CURRENT-TERM]

      1. The most general and most current colourless word for an assistant to any official in any capacity, but often in the capacity of a sernior minister, is fǔ 輔.

      [GENERAL], [VAGUE]

      2. Chéng 丞 became especially common from Qin times onwards, and this bureaucratic term can refer to any assistant in formal employment.

      [SPECIFIC], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

      3. Fù 副 is a bureaucratic term that refers to a junior official of any kind in formal employment in Han times.

      [HUMBLE], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

      4. Èr 貳 is a standard archaic word referring to minor assistants in formal employment (ZHOULI).

      [ARCHAIC], [HUMBLE]

      5. Zuǒ 佐 refers to a person closely linked to the master and taking charge of minor practical matters, a personal servant, perhaps a secretary, but the word refers generally to a "helping hand".

      [HUMBLE]

      6. Xiàng 相 can be used to refer to an assistant at any level, or to the functions fulfilled by such an assistant. See HELP

      [SPECIFIC]

      Word relations
    • Assoc: (HELP)輔/HELP Zuǒ 佐, yòu 佑 (deriving their meaning from the position of aides near the ruler), and also fǔ 輔 refer to official assistance in a formal context.
    • Synon: (HELP)輔/HELP Zuǒ 佐, yòu 佑 (deriving their meaning from the position of aides near the ruler), and also fǔ 輔 refer to official assistance in a formal context.