Taxonomy of meanings for 央:　　

  • 央 yāng (OC: qaŋ MC: ʔiɐŋ) 於良切 平 廣韻：【中央一曰久也於良切九 】
    • BRIGHT
      • vibe shining; be brillant
    • DISASTER
      • nabeventmajor disaster; hardship; misfortune; calamity
      • vibe in the danger of meeting a major disaster; suffer a major disaster
      • nab{PRED}(that) spells disasterCH
      • nabpost-Ndisaster for NLZ
      • nab.post-NN=subjectdisaster sent by NDS
    • END
      • vifinish; come to an end
    • INSIDE
      • nthe centre
    • MIDDLE
      • nmiddle; center
    • SOUND
      • vichime (sound of a bell) (SHI)
    • ENDURING
      • REQUEST

        Additional information about 央

        說文解字: 【央】，中央也。从大在冂之內。大，人也。央、㫄同意。一曰：久也。 〔小徐本無「也」。〕 【於良切】

          Criteria
        • INSIDE

          1. The current general word for the inside of three-dimensional objects as opposed to what is outside them is nèi 內 (ant. wài 外 ), but this word is sometimes used to refer quite generally to the insides territories and the like. There are no degrees of neì 內 : things are either inside or outside.

          2. Zhōng 中 (ant. e.g. pàn 畔 "the margins"(!) cf. 江中 versus 江畔 ) typically refers to the centre of a domain and contrasts with the margins or what lies just outside that domain. There are degrees of zhōng 中 : some things may be more central, closer to the core, than others. Note that 中國 does not contrast with 外國 but with ZHOULI 遠國 or occasionally jué guó 絕國. Ancient China did not recognise foreign "states".

          3. Lǐ 裡 (ant. biǎo 表 ) is rare and refers in a rather abstract way to what is inward rather than mereley outward.

          4. Yāng 央 is only occasionally used to refer to the centre and is most current in the ubiquitous combination 中央 "central; the centre".

          Word relations
        • Assoc: (INSIDE)中/INSIDE Zhōng 中 (ant. e.g. pàn 畔 "the margins"(!), cf. 江中 versus 江畔) typically refers to the centre of a domain and contrasts with the margins or what lies just outside that domain. There are degrees of zhōng 中: some things may be more central, closer to the core, than others. Note that 中國 does not contrast with 外國 but with ZHOULI 遠國 or occasionally jué guó 絕國. Ancient China did not recognise foreign "states".