Taxonomy of meanings for 嗣:　　

  • 嗣 sì (OC: sɢlɯs MC: zɨ) 祥吏切 去 廣韻：【繼也又姓風俗通云衞嗣君後 】
    • CONTINUE
      • vadNcontinue> following; succeeding
      • vtoNto continue; to succeed to; to succeed as
    • HEIR
      • n(post-N)heir
      • n(post-N)figurativesuccessor in a public function
      • nadNinherited, succeeding, newly succeeding
      • vtoNstativeto succeed (a person) as the heir, inherit the position of; inherit (virtue)
      • vt(oN)inherit the throne; inherit the post
      • npost-Nheir
    • DESCENDANT
      • ADOPT
      • NEXT
        • THEN
          • SURNAMES
          • 嗣 sì (OC: ljɯs MC: zɨ) 祥吏切 去 廣韻：【嗣古文 】

            Additional information about 嗣

            說文解字: 【嗣】，諸矦嗣國也。从冊、从口，司聲。 〔小徐本「口」上無「从」。〕 【徐鍇曰：冊必於廟，史讀其冊，故从口。】 【祥吏切】 【孠】，古文嗣从子。

              Criteria
            • HEIR

              1. The most current general and neutral word referring to an heir is sì 嗣.

              2. Dí 嫡 / 適 (ant. shù 庶 "offspring by a woman other than one's main wife") emphasises the legitimacy of the succession.

              3. Hòu 後, zhòu 冑, and yìn 胤 are vague and include all offspring.

              4. Tài zǐ 太子 refers specifically to the formally established and declared heir apparent to a king or an emperor.

              5. Shì zǐ 世子 refers to the formally established and declared heir apparent of a duke, king or emperor.

            • CONTINUE

              1. The most current general word for continuing to do something and also for continuing a tradition is jì 繼 (ant. jué 絕 "disrupt a tradition") which concentrates on the original thing that is being continued or made longer.

              2. Xù 續 (ant. duàn 斷 "interrupt a tradition") focusses on what is being added in the lengthening process, and the dominant meaning of the word is spatial lengthening.

              3. Zhuǎn 轉 is refers to continuation by alternation of the agent and is translatable as "continuing in turn".

              4. Chéng 承 refers to the continuation of an abstract tradition.

              5. Yè 業 refers primarily to the continuation of the trade or tradition of one's own forebears.

              6. Réng 仍 focusses on the uninterrupted and continuous pursuance of an activity over a continuing period.

              7. Sì 嗣, which came to mean "succeed as an heir", was used in early texts to refer to the continuation of any tradition or practice.

              8. Yán 延 is current in the meaning "continue" in OBI.