Taxonomy of meanings for 刀:
Additional information about 刀
說文解字: 【刀】，兵也。象形。凡刀之屬皆从刀。 【都牢切】
- Criteria
- KNIFE
1. General word for a knife or dagger is dāo 刀. Knives were usually made of bronze, since the Warring States period of iron, and had many functions; they could be used as a weapon (already from the Shang period), to cut meal - particularly meat - or as a butcherer's knife, and to engrave or smooth something. According to the purpose, their shape and size also varied. WANG suggests that dāo 刀 refers only to the knives with a concave blade, which can be conveniently used to cut something, whereas these with the convex blade were primarily used for curving and smoothing, and were called xiao 削; but it seems improbable. Knives with the concave blade are known which for their large size can be used only like a weapon or to cut something; it should be further noted that the knife-shaped coins of the Warring States period, which have the concave blade, are called dāo 刀, and that even small concave knives used in Han times to smooth bamboo books are often referred to as shū dāo 書刀.
2. Xiāo 削 refers to the small knife with a concave blade, which was used to engrave or smooth wooden or bamboo surface. It was often used to smooth a surface of bamboo slips, and in Han times was usually referred to as shū dāo 書刀.
3. Bǐ shǒu 匕首 refers to the dagger defined in SHUOWEN like a short sword.
- MONEY
1. Probably the most current term for money is qián 錢, but the word became current only in Han times. The word originally referred to the agricultural implement similar to or identical with bù 布 (see below). In the Warring States period, the term was together with bù 布 used for spade-like coins. Later, it began to refer to round money casted by the Qin dynasty, and in Han times it became a current general word for money.
2. Bì 幣 referred originally to the silk which could be used for sacrifice or as a gift. In the Warring States period, the term refer to precious things (jades, horses) often used as a gift. In Han times, the word was used like a general term for money.
3. Dāo bù 刀布 could be used like a general term for money in the Warring States period.
4. Bù 布 refers to the bronze coins cast in the shape of bù 布 (spade-like implement in ancient China). The earliest exemplars (of remarkably large size and with hollow handle) are known from the states of Jin and Zhou and dates from the end of the sixth century B.C.. During the following Warring States period, this type of coin (usually with a flat handle) was in use particularly in the states of Wei, Han and Zhao, but also in Chu. The coins were usually inscribed with the name of a state or city where they were cast. After Qin unification, bù 布 came out of use, but they were revived for a short time during the reign of the Wang Mang's Xin dynasty.
5. Dāo 刀 refers to the bronze knife-like coins. They came into use slightly later than bù 布 coins, and were cast particularly in the eastern states of Yan, Qi, but also Zhao. Some exemplars survived till the early Han dynasty; later, shape-like coins were revived for two years (7 - 9 A.D.) by Wang Mang. These knife-like coins from the end of the Western Han dynasty were called cuò dāo 錯刀.
6. Bèi 貝 originally referred to the cauri shells which were in Shang and Western Zhou times used like primitive money or like a gift. For this purpose, they were joined to péng 朋, consisting of two strings of shells, five pieces each. In the Warring States period, the word also referred to the bronze coins in the shape of cauri which were in use in the state of Chu.
7. Huán 圜 refers to the round coin with a square hole in a centre which was cast by the states of Qin and Zhou. After Qin unification, it became general currency for a whole empire.
8. Yuán 爰 refers to the rectangular pieces of gold which were used like money in the state of Chu. It is the earliest golden currency in China.
9. Bàn liǎng 半兩 refers to the round coin with a central square hole which was for the first time cast by the state of Qin in the late Warring States period and which was then in use till the second half of the second century B.C.. The coin should weight half of liǎng 兩 (i.e. 12 zhū 銖 ), and this weight was recorded in an inscription on the coin; hence the name. In fact, coins of this type known from Qin and early Han times are of very various height; in early Han times, most current were coins weighting four zhu 銖.
10. Wǔ zhū 五銖 refers to a round coin with a square hole weighting five zhū 銖 which was for the first time cast under Emperor Wudi in 118 B.C. and was then in use during the whole Han dynasty (with a short break about the time of Wang Mang's reign).
11. Mǎ tí 馬蹄, lù tí 鹿蹄, huán tí 圜蹄, and lín zhǐ 麟趾 are various terms referring to the pieces of gold formed into the shape of horse's, deer's, or qí lín's 麒麟 hoof. This kind of currency was in use under the Han dynasty.
12. Dà quán 大泉, xiǎo quán 小泉, zhuāng quán 壯泉, xuán quán 玄泉 are all round coins of various size dating from Wang Mang's reign.
13. Pí bì 皮幣 refers to the money made of deer skin which were in use in the reign of Emperor Wudi (141 - 87 B.C.).
- SHIP
1. The general term for any ship, large or small, is zhōu 舟. [The word occurs already in the oracle bone inscriptions and in SHIJING. According to some opinions it originally referred to the boat made of one piece of wood, but it is not certain. The earliest forms of the character resemble the small ship made already from several planks. Note that in Western Zhou times, ship also played certain role in some rituals performed by the king, which probably took place in the pool within royal palace.
2. Chuán 船／舡 is a colloquial general term for a ship which emerged in Warring States times and became current under the Han. The word can refer specifically to larger ships. The word is still unknown in LUNYU and ZUOZHUAN, where the only general term for a ship is still zhōu 舟.
3. Háng 杭／航 refers specifically to a ferry and became current first in Han times. (From the Warring States period, only the former character is known, the latter form came to be used in Han times. The word refers specifically to a ferry, but can be used also as a general term for a ship.
4. Sōu 艘 is another general word for a ship which was in use particularly from the Han till Tang, and it was usually used as a measure word for a ship.
5. Yú 俞 refers in SHUOWEN and HUAINANZI to the boat made of one piece of wood, the monoxylon. Whether the term referred to this type of boat in general already since early times is not certain. Note that one monoxylon (3,9 m long) dating from Shang times was found in Shandong province.
6. Bó 舶 originally referred specifically to the large sea ships of the foreign traders reaching Canton area. Later it came to refer generally to large or sea ship.
7. Fāng chuán 方船, fāng 舫 (the latter word first appeared in the Warring States period and became more current in Han times) refer to the double ship, ship consisting of two joined boats. This kind of ship could be used for various purposes (for transportation of goods or soldiers, as a warship, or to cross a river), and was in use at least from the Warring States period till Tang; the period during it most flourished was neverthless Jin dynasty.
8. Gě 舸 refers generally to a large ship; according to FANG YAN, in Han times the word was used in an area on the middle reaches of Chang jiang.
9. Biàn 艑 refers to the large ship, used probably mainly for transportation of goods, which was used in the middle and lower reaches of the Chang jiang.
10. Tà 榻 is the general word for a large ship, which was in use mainly from the North Southern dynasties till Tang period.
11. Cáo 艚 is the post-Buddhist word referring to the transportation ship. It was large and slow.
12. Líng (written like 舟令 ) refers specifically to the small ship with vindows. In the Warring States and Han period, it was in use particularly in the area of ancient states Wu and Yue.
13. Dāo 刀 / (written like 舟刀 ) refers to a small boat. The word occurs already in SHIJING.
14. Mù sù (written like 舟冒; 舟宿 chā 艖 ) all refer to the small and narrow boats, and according to FANG YAN, were used in the middle reaches of Chang jiang.
15. Tǐng 艇 refers to the boat even smaller than the previous, with space for one or two people. According to HUAINANZI, this was originally used in the area of Sichuan.
16. Qióng (written like 舟共 ) refers to the small boat used mainly in the middle reaches of the Chang jiang.
17. Lì 麗 refers to a small boat. The word occurs already in ZHUANGZI.
18. Dié 艓 refers to the small boat.
19. Zé měng 舴艋 refers to the small boat.
20. (I can not find a character in the dictionary: written like 舟鳥 ) refers to the small and narrow boat.
21. Sān yì 三翼 refers to the battleships which were in use in the southern states of Wu and Yue in Chunqiu and Warring States times. It seems that they were divided to three categories according to their size. According to Han sources, the largest ones had a space for 91 men, those of middle size for 50 men, and minor for 26 men. Note that the earliest ship battle is mentioned in ZUOZHUAN to 549 B.C., and it took place on a river; the first sea battle is dated to 484 B.C. As can be seen on pictorial presentations dating from the late Chunqiu and early Warring States period, ship battles esentially resembled battles on the earth; the ships pulled with oars came close one to the other and warriors staying on the higher board attacked enemies with arrows, halberds, and spears.
22. Yú huáng 余 / 艅皇 / 艎 was in Chunqiu times the name of the large battleship belonging to the kings of Wu. Later it came to be used as a general term for a large battleship.
23. Mào tū 冒突 came to use in the Eastern Han period and referred to the battleship which could directly clash into the ship of enemies.
24. Lóu chuán 樓船 refers to the battleship with several boards. These came to use already in the late Chunqiu period, and were used till Ming times.
25. Gē chuán 戈船 refers to the large battleship which was in use from the late Chunqiu till the Southern and Northern dynasties. It obtained its name from halberds and spears put on its board; perhaps general word for a battleship (???).
26. Méng chōng 艨童舟童 refers to a smaller battleship used to clash into the battleships of enemies. It has two boards, the lower for oarmen and higher for warriors; moreover it was covered with fresh oxen skins to defend firearrows of the enemies. In use since the Three Kingdoms.
27. Jiàn 艦 refers to the large battleship with wooden battlements which came to be used in the Three Kingdoms.