Taxonomy of meanings for 半:　　

  • 半 bàn (OC: paans MC: pʷɑn) 博幔切 去 廣韻：【物中分也博慢切七 】
    • HALF
      • npost-Na half 其半; half of them
      • nab.t:post-Nmathematical termCHEMLA 2003: half ofJIUZHANG 8.10: 乙半 "half of the (amount of money possessed by) X"LIUHUI 9.11: 差半 "half of the difference". Sometimes (with binomial modifiers) with 之 as in LIUHUI 9.11 加相多之半 "one adds half of the excess (quantity)".
      • nabmathematical termCHEMLA 2003: a half (of an identified kind of items) (This must be carefully distinguished from the notion of a half of an amount 二分之一.)　In this meaning, 半 is almost enclitic, and always follows after designations of units or numbers, rather than after designations of concrete items. Moreover, the measure is never repeated after 半. Reference to the fraction as such is always in terms of 二分之一. JIUZHANG 1.9 又有二分之一 "Again, suppose we have one half (of something)" JIUZHANG 4.1 and 4.2 has counterexamples that are only apparent, because they involve resumption of post-nominal 半.Note incidentally that the fraction 2/3 is expressed in JIUZHANG as 太半 as well as 三分之二, there being no clear distinction in meaning between these two. Shào bàn 少半 as well as 三分之一 are used - indifferently - to refer to the fraction 1/3. Possibly, the choice among these alternatives might be a basis for dating various parts of the text in which these terms occur.
      • nadNhalf
      • nadNN=period of timein the middle of the N-period; halfway through N
      • nadV{PASS}.adNhalf-V-ed
      • nadVhalf, half-way; to the tune of one half, half of the number
      • vadNmathematical termCHEMLA 2003: half ofLIU HUI 1.32 故以半周乘半徑而為圓冪 "Therefore with the half of the circumference one multiplies half of the diameter and thus arrives at the area of the circle."
      • vibe one half
      • vtoNmathematical termCHEMLA 2003: take one half of; occasionally with preposed object resumed by 之 in 半之. Thus X 半之 comes to mean "take half of X". Note that 半, whether as adjective or as transitive verb, never has a scope that extends across multiplication chéng 乘.JIUZHANG 1.6 可半者半之 "(the numerators and the denominators) that can be halved, one halves" JIUZHANG 1.21: 半廣以乘正從 "One reduces by half the width and with (the result of this operation) you multiply this with the height (lit: "straight vertical")." Note that 半廣 might conceivably be construed as a adjective-noun construction here, although this would lead to considerable analytic contortions in the interpretation of the text.
      • vtoNmathematical termCHEMLA 2003: be halvedJIUZHANG 1.6 可半者半之 "(the numerators and the denominators) that can be halved, one halves". Note that not all mathematical operations are necessarily referred to in the passive mode.
      • n(post-N)half of the contextually determinate N

    Additional information about 半

    說文解字: 【半】，物中分也。从八、从牛，牛爲物大，可以分也。凡半之屬皆从半。 【博幔切】

      Criteria
    • 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.).

    • HALF

      1. The standard word for half is bàn 半, and I have not found any competing near-synonyms.