Taxonomy of meanings for 契:　　

  • 契 qiè (OC: kheed MC: kʰet) 苦結切 入 廣韻：【契闊又苦計切 】
  • 契 qì (OC: khees MC: kʰei) 苦計切 去 廣韻：【契約苦計切又苦結切十 】
    • CARPENTER TOOL
      • associated action>CUT
        • vtoNcut into, cut (throat etc)
      • generalised>BREAK OFF
        • feature: psychological>DISTRESS
          • vi.redall distressed
          • vidistressed; anxious
        • object: broken off two-part>TALLY
          • ntally of contract 左契
          • vtoNfigurativemark as contract > approve of
        • abstract>CONTRACT
          • nbinding document of any kind, legal or contractual
          • viactenter an alliance, make a contract for cooperation
        • content>WRITTEN CHARACTER
          • feature of tallies>CONFORM
            • vt prep Nthe contract conforms to N; the agreement matches with NDS
          • generalised>HARMONY
            • causativeUNITE
              • vtoNunite
            • person in harmony with one>FRIEND
              • aspiring to become like one>STUDENT
                • abstract>REACH
                  • vtoNreach???
                • intellectually>UNDERSTAND
                  • nabbuddhistBUDDH: contract to enligthenment > enlightenment; understanding (thereby becoming the member of a lineage)
                  • vt+prep+NbuddhistBUDDH: contract to > enlighten to
                  • vtoNbuddhistBUDDH: contract to > enlighten to (occasionally: get enlightened and become member of the lineage of); wake up to
                • grammaticalised> CLASSIFIER
                • TRANSRIPTION as in 契丹
              • 契 qì (OC: khɯd MC: kʰɨt) 去訖切 入 廣韻：【契丹夷名出字林 】
              • qiè ARISTOCRATS OF SHANG
                • nprread Xiè, aide to Emperor Yǔ, legendary founding ancestor of the Shāng people. Became 司徒 under Yǔ.CH
                • nprread Xiè, aide to Emperor Yǔ, legendary founding ancestor of the Shāng people. Became 司徒 under Yǔ.CH
              • qiè ARISTOCRATS OF SHANG
                • nprread Xiè, aide to Emperor Yǔ, legendary founding ancestor of the Shāng people. Became 司徒 under Yǔ.CH
                • nprread Xiè, aide to Emperor Yǔ, legendary founding ancestor of the Shāng people. Became 司徒 under Yǔ.CH
              • qìSUMMARY
                • nabbasic structure of text (See Xu Fuguan on Wenfu)CH

              Additional information about 契

              說文解字: 【契】，大約也。从大、从㓞 〔小徐本作「從大、㓞聲。」〕 《易》曰：後代聖人，易之以書契。 【苦計切】

                Criteria
              • TALLY

                All these words refer to documents which officially or formally convey authority or are symbols of a contractual relationship.

                1. The fú 符 tally always has two "halves" only.

                2. The jié 節 is originally made of bamboo and can be divided into one or more "halves" that have to fit together to count as tallies.

                3. The zhuàn 傳 is a tally with an inscription specifying what the authority conveyed is.

                4. Quàn 券 and the somewhat more archaic qì 契 refers to the physical object which constitutes the written version of a contract or an agreement.

              • CONTRACT

                1. The current general word for a contract of any kind is yuē 約.

                2. Méng 盟 refers to a momentous formal (typically written) contract or oath of allegiance betwen feudal lords confirmed by ritual blood sacrifice, although such oaths could occasionally be taken by humble individuals (bī rén 卑人 "persons of low status") in which case the day of the ritual was not recorded.

                3. Shì 誓 is sometimes used in ancient texts to refer to a sworn covenant between individuals, but the word also refers to a personal oath. See OATH.

                4. Quàn 券 and the somewhat more archaic qì 契 refers to the physical object which constitutes the written version of a contract or an agreement. See TALLY.

                Word relations
              • Object: (CONTRACT)執/ACT
              • Assoc: (CONTRACT)券/CONTRACT Quàn 券 and the somewhat more archaic qì 契 refers to the physical object which constitutes the written version of a contract or an agreement. See TALLY.
              • Assoc: (TALLY)券/TALLY Quàn 券 and the somewhat more archaic qì 契 refers to the physical object which constitutes the written version of a contract or an agreement.
              • Assoc: (TALLY)符/TALLY The fú 符 tally always has two "halves" only.
              • Assoc: (CONTRACT)約/CONTRACT The current general word for a contract of any kind is yuē 約.