Taxonomy of meanings for 唯:　　

  • 唯 wéi (OC: k-lul MC: jʷi) 以追切 平 廣韻：【獨也又以癸切 】
    • ONLY
      • padVonly [etymologically vadV]
      • vt+N{SUBJ}.+為+V{PRED}only N Vs
      • vtoNcopulato be; to be only (the object in question)
      • vt+N{SUBJ}.+V{PRED}only N V-sCH
      • v[0]+N.+N{PRED}it is only N that is the N{PRED}CH
      • vadNrestrictiveonly (the N)
      • vadVobjectonly the object(s)
      • vadVreference=objectonly VERB
      • vt+Nbe only N; be only a matter of N; be only by N
      • vt0oN{SUBJ}.+V{PRED}only N Vs
      • vtoN.adVcopularestrictive copula: be only, it is only N (who Vs)
      • vttoN.+V[0]copulait is only the N who do the contextually determinate Ving3
      • vt0oN{OBJ}.+V{PRED}it is only N that the subject V-sLZ
      • grammaticalised: only because> BECAUSE
        • vt0oS1.adS2only because
        • grammaticalised: supposing as a determinging cause> IF
          • padS1.adS2only if
      • grammaticalised> if only> HOPE
        • vtoSnourish the humble hope that; hope politely
        • vtoNPab{S}hope that SCH
        • counterfactual> UTINAM
          • padSWould that S! I wish that S could happen; I wish that the action in S could be performed.CH
    • grammaticalised, general> COPULA
      • vt+Ncopulacome to occur at (a certain time)
      • vt+N{SUBJ}.+V{PRED}OBI: be (the SUBJECT which PREDICATES); be the only N who Vs
      • vt+Nbe N; be N (and none/nothing else)
      • vt0+N.+V[0]it is N that Vs
      • vtpostVt{NEG}be
      • vt+N.postNPab{S}signify
      • vt+V[0]be the one who V-s
      • vt0 Nab{S}It was all a matter of SCH
      • vt+N{OBJ}:+npro.+Vtinversion, emphaticit is N which is the object of VtDS
      • contrastive> NONETHELESS
        • vadV1.postV2only
      • putative> THINK
          • be mindful of in action> OBEY
            • vtoNobey
            • vt[0]oNI (the speaker) obey the (your) order
    • 唯 wěi (OC: k-lulʔ MC: jʷi) 以水切 上 廣韻：【諾也以水切又音惟八 】
      • ANSWER
          • in the positive> AGREE TO
            • nabactthe agreeing 唯止
            • vi.redYes!
            • vt[0](oN)exclamatoryYes!, indeed!; (agreeing immediately and unquestioningly to an opinion expressed or an order given) (compare 唯而不諾)

        Additional information about 唯

        說文解字: 【唯】，諾也。从口、隹聲。 【以水切】

          Criteria
        • AGREE TO

          [ASCENDING/HORIZONTAL/DESCENDING]

          [EXPLICIT/IMPLICIT]

          [FORMAL/INFORMAL]

          [MENTAL/PRACTICAL]

          [REACTIVE/SPONTANEOUS]

          1. Nuò 諾 (ant. yǐ 已 "be unwilling") expresses a general agreement to do what is asked of one, and this is the most common word which can be used both by superiors and by inferiors when expressing agreement.

          [EXPLICIT], [FORMAL], [REACTIVE]

          2. Wéi 唯 (ant. fǒu 否 "refuse") expresses an unquestioning agreement directed at superiors to do what is asked of one.concerning a major undertaking by means of a mutual promise.

          [ASCENDING], [EXPLICIT], [FORMAL], [REACTIVE]

          3. Qī 期 refers to the entering into a typically non-hierarchical agreement concerning any form of common action by means of a mutual promise.

          [EXPLICIT], [HORIZONTAL], [INFORMAL], [SPONTANEOUS]

          4. Yuē 約 refers to the entering into a voluntary binding agreement of any kind between equals.

          [EXPLICIT], [FORMAL], [HORIZONTAL], [SPONTANEOUS]

          5. Kěn 肯 (ant. jù (ér bù shòu) 拒（而不受 ) "refuse to accede to a request") refers to a willingness to do what one might refuse to do.

          [IMPLICIT], [MENTAL]

          6. Cóng 從 "do as one is told" (ant. cí 辭 "refuse") can refer to an agreement by a superior to do as is being suggested by an inferior rather than the obeying itself. See OBEY

          [IMPLICIT], [PRACTICAL], [REACTIVE]

        • COPULA

          1. Classical Chinese had several common copulas at an early stage: wéi 維 / 唯 / 惟 (ant. fēi 非 "is not") was common in SHI and SHU, but discontinued later.

          2. The final particle yě 也 is interpreted by some as a sentence-final copula, but it is properly regarded as a sentential particle marking non-narrative modes of predication.

          3. The standard copula in Warring States Chinese is wéi 為, which tends to have human subjects and is by no means as common in Chinese as the copula is in Western languages.

          4. Yuē 曰 is current as a copula in listings of items and the like.

          5. Yún 云 is a rare archaising copula in ZUO.

          6. Zé 則 is copula-like after contrastive subjects.

          7. Nǎi 乃 is copula-like and contrastive and stresses that the subject is none other than the predicate.

          8. Dāng 當 "act as, fulfill the function of" is copula-like, but there is only a slight degree of grammaticalisation in the direction of a copula.

          9. Wèi 謂 "be counted as, count as" sometimes moves in the direction of copula-like uses.

          10. Shì 是 is a resumptive demonstrative pronoun which on very rare occasions can come to function very much as a copula.

          11. Zhòng 中 has some copula-like uses in GUAN, when the word means "amount to, cost" and sometimes even stands before ordinary nominal predicates.

          12. Yǐ 以 "as a SUBJECT" functions quite regularly as a subordinate copula in classical Chinese.