Taxonomy of meanings for 墨:　　

  • 墨 mò (OC: mɯɯɡ MC: mək) 莫北切 入 廣韻：【筆墨又姓墨翟是也亦即墨縣名莫北切十二 】
    • INK
      • nadVinstrumentwith ink
      • nmink powder; black inkslab
      • vtoNcausativecause to be inke, dip in ink; mix with ink
    • feature>BLACK
      • nadNink black
      • vigradedbe dark in complexion; be black 深墨
      • vtoNcausativemake black, dye black
    • exocentric: on divination turtle shell>PATTERN
      • exocentric>TEXT
        • exocentric: inkline>THREAD
          • LENGTH MEASURES
            • nname of a measure (GUOYU)
          • exocentric>SOOT
            • nmsoot, used to make a fluid for applying black colour, as Chinese ink sued for writing and painting, for dyeing strings used to mark lines with, or for tatooing
          • causative: slash and burn>BURN
            • generalised>DARK
              • vi.redbe all dark and black
              • vi0it is dark
            • metaphorical>CORRUPT
              • typical action using: punishment>BRAND
                • nabactpunishment by black-branding; branding
                • viactconduct branding
              • WEAR
                • viactwear black (as a sign of mourning)
              • MOHISTS
                • nprMo4 Dí 墨翟LZ
              • SCHOLAR
                • nMohist
                • npluralthe MohistsCH
            • 墨 ｍｅｉ４《集韻》莫佩切，去隊明。
            • mòPHILOSOPHER
              • npluralmembers of the Mohist school of thoughtCH
              • nabMohismCH
              • nadNMohistLZ

            Additional information about 墨

            說文解字: 【墨】，書墨也。从土、从黑，黑亦聲。 〔小徐本作「從土、黑。」〕 【莫北切】

              Criteria
            • LINE

              1. Shéng 繩 is the abstract term for a line is the word for the thread/rope, used figuratively, often expanded to shéng mò 繩墨 "the inkline".

              2. Háng 行 refers specificallty to a line of text. MOVE THIS TO LINE-OF-WRITING

              3. Jìng 徑 refers specifically to the line constituted by a diameter of a circle.

            • INK

              1. The current word for ink in Han times is mò 墨, and it is important to realise that this did not refer to an inkslab in Warring States times, but rather to an ink powder which was mixed with water to produce a kind of ink mud with one's hands. The ink slab became current from Han times onwards.

              2. Yàn 硯 refers to an inkstone on which the inkslab is rubbed in order to produce ink. The earliest inkslabs are from Western Han times. These could be round or round on one side and right-angled on the other. See illustrations.

            • BLACK

              [[COMMON/RARE]]

              [DRAMATIC/UNDRAMATIC]

              [ELEVATED/FAMILIAR]

              [+FIG/LITERAL]

              [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

              [IDIOMATIC/NON-IDIOMATIC]

              [POETIC/PROSAIC]

              1.The standard word is hēi 黑 (ant. bái 白 "white") which refers to anything very dark.

              [GENERAL], [LITERAL], [PROSAIC]; [[COMMON]]

              2. Xuán 玄 (ant. sù 素 "pristine unadorned white") refers to a redish mystifying black. SW: 黑而有赤色者

              [ELEVATED], [+FIG], [POETIC!]

              3. Àn 黯 (ant. hào 昊 "shining bright (of sky)") is rare and poetic, and the word refers to the threatening darkness of clouds in a thunderstorm.

              [DRAMATIC], [ELEVATED], [LITERAL], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

              4. Zī 淄／緇 (ant. sù 素 "plain white") refers to the glossy greyish black appearance of dark silk, like the colour of dark earth, and this word seems limited to the description of clothes.

              [ELEVATED], [LITERAL], [SPECIFIC]

              5. Dài 黛 (ant. hào 皓 "shining whie") refers specifically to the dust-glossy black of make-up.

              [ELEVATED], [LITERAL], [POETIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

              6. Lí 黎 / 黧 (ant. sù 素 "pristine white and un-suntanned") refers to the dark sunburnt complexion of those who work in the open for long periods.

              [IDIOMATIC], [LITERAL], [PROSAIC], [SPECIFIC]

              7. Qián 黔 refers to the dark sunburnt complexion of those who work in the open for long periods, especially in qián mín 黔民 "the common people".

              [IDIOMATIC], [LITERAL], [PROSAIC], [SPECIFIC]

              8. Méi 黴 refers to the facial complexion darkened either by exposure to the sun or by sorrow.

              [ELEVATED], [+FIG], [IDIOMATIC], [POETIC!]; [[RARE]]

              9. Zào 皂 (sù 素 "plain undyed white") is also very rare and refers to the appearance of coarse dyed black non-silken textiles, the original reference of the word being to the plant used to produce the black effect.

              [LITERAL], [PROSAIC]

              10. Mò 墨 is basically ink, and by extension the word can come to refer to a dark black colour.

            • COAL

              1. The standard word for charcoal is tàn 炭.

              Current post-Buddhist words for coal were 石煤，石墨，石炭. Méi tàn 煤炭 is first attested in Sòng times.

            • PUNISH

              1. The general word for punishment is wú xíng 五刑, traditionally in SHU, LYUXING listed as "dà pí 大辟 "decapitation", yuè 刖 "mutilation of foot", yì 劓, gōng 宮 "castration", mò 墨 "branding". The list varied through time and is different in different sources.

              2. Xíng 刑 refers specifically to physical punishment.

              3. Fá 罰 refers to non-physical forms of punishment including typically fines. See FINE

              4. Yù 獄 can be used to refer to any kind of punitive action taken against criminals.

              5. Fǎ 法 can occasionally be used, mainly in early texts, to refer not to criminal law but to the application of such laws to criminals.

              6. Zuò 坐 refers to a condemned person being held responsible for a criminal act and being punished. See CONDEMN

              7. Tǎo 討 is a moralistic term referring to a momentous act of punishment in the name of justice, and the meaning often vascillates between ATTACK and PUNISH, when the reference is a punitive attack. See ATTACK

            • ROPE

              1. Probably the most general word for the rope is shéng 繩. The term originally referred to the finer rope made of silk or hemp (which was used for instance to make a fishing net), but in Han times it became to be used for all kinds of ropes. Note that ropes in ancient China were like our modern ropes usually twisted of two strips.

              2. Suǒ 索 refers to the rope larger and more crude than shéng 繩; it was usually made not of silk or hemp, but of grass, wooden, or bamboo strips.

              3. Jīu 糾 according to SHUOWEN refers to the rope twisted of three strips. In fact, this explanation is doubtful, and it seems that while the word refers to the ropes generally, it particularly points to the fact that they are twisted of strips. The word is usually used like a verb "to twist, to weave together", sometimes in meaning to collect together.

              4. Táo 綯 is the word for rope which occurs in SHIJING together with suǒ 索.

              5. Huī 徽 and mò (written like 絲 and 墨 ) both refer to the crude ropes which were usually used for punishments. The former can be also used like a verb "to bind", the latter can also refer to the crude rope used for other purposes, like a reins for instance.

              6. Léi 縲 refer to the large and crude rope used to bind up criminals.

              7. Jiān 緘 refers to the rope for tying up basket or a box.

              8. Téng 滕 refers to the rope used to tie up something.

              9. Huà 繣 refers to the cord for tying something.

              10. Guàn 貫 refers to the string to hang cash on, and also to the cash string like a unit; the oldest evidence I have found is in SHIJI.

              11. Qiǎng 繈 refers to the cash string (mentioned already in GUANZI and SHIJI.

              12. Zhí 縶 refers in SHIJING and ZUO to the rope used to tie the horse.

              13. Mí (written like 糜 but with 絲 instead of 米 ) refers to the rope for leading cattle.

              14. Zhèn 紖 is another term for the rope used to lead cattle.

              15. Xiè 紲 refers to the rope used to hold a dog.

              16. Xián 弦 refers either to the string of a bow (usually made of oxen veins), or to the string of a musical instrument:.

              NB: Finds of ropes are of course extremely rare. Ropes made of grass were found in the Neolithic site of Hemudu (near Shanghai; HUANG 1995: 1420), another other is known from the early Shang site at Mengzhuang in Henan (references and illustrations TO BE FOUND)]

            • GENTLEMAN

              1. The current general term for a person of a certain social standing is shì 士 and this word often connotes specifically a certain level of education, particularly literacy. See INTELLECTUAL.

              2. Jūn zǐ 君子 can focus either on nobility of birth and social status. See alsounder GOOD the meaning "man of excellent character".

              3. Rú 儒 (opp. 墨 "Mohist"), literally "weakling", typically referred Late Warring States times to classicists, often from broadly Confucian circles.

              4. Xián 賢 (ant. 不肖 "person of inferior worth and talent") adds to the notion of an intellectual of some education that of special talent, and sometimes also of moral worth. See TALENT.

              5. Zhé 哲 emphasises advanced intellectual talents.

              6. Jiā 家 focusses on basic professionalism or expertise, but the term is rare in pre-Han times.

              7. Shēng 生 simply refers to literates.

            • BRAND

              1. The standard word for the punishment by branding is qíng 黥, and this cruel practice is already mentioned in SHU, although it first became current in Han times, when it was currently applied to tutors as punishment for their distinguished pupils' transgressions.

              2. Mò 墨 "black-branding" is also mentioned in SHU, but the practice was never wide-spread.

              3. Qián 黔 is very occasionally used for self-inflicted darkening of the skin, possibly branding.