TLS - 漢學文典

Taxonomy of meanings for 始:　　

shǐ (OC: lʰɯʔ MC: ɕɨ) 詩止切上廣韻：【初也詩止切一】
- BEGIN
  - nsubjectopening piece, beginning piece (e.g. in a collection of poetry)
  - nabmetaphysicalthe beginnings of things; beginning, the initial state as a dynamic state motivating what happens after that beginning; proper beginning; original cause, Greek: archē;
  - vadNbeginning, original; very early
  - vadVto begin with; in the beginning; for the first time, from the very beginning;
  - viinchoativeto begin, originate; to start doing one's work
  - vt+prep+Nbegin with, start from; start out by V-ing
  - vt+V[0]to begin to V, start V-ing; to be at the beginner's stage of V-ing
  - vt+V[0]V=traditionbe the first to; inaugurate, initiate, start the tradition of, do something for the first time
  - vtoNfirst timedo something for the first time; come to do something for the first time
  - vtoNinchoativetake as one's starting point; to begin to work with, to start working at something (in Shijing 經始靈臺)
  - vadSto begin with, in the beginning
  - vt+prep+Vto start V-ingLZ
  - vt prep+Nabbegin with V-ingLZ
  - vtoVbegin to VCH
  - nab(post-N)beginning of NCH
  - nab.post-Nstatethe initial shape of N, how N was at the beginningLZ
  - begin to exist>
    ARISE
    - viprocessfirst arise
  - in the beginning>
    ORIGINALLY
    - vadSin the very beginning, originally
    - more generally>
      PAST
      
      vadVformerly; originally; in the past; in the old days
      - more specifically> RECENT
        
        vadVonly recently, newly
      - subordinating> WHEN
        
        v0adV.adSjust when, exactly at the time when there was V, then S
        
        vadV.postN{SUBJ}:adSthe moment when, just when, exactly at the time when (also in BIANWEN)
        
        effective> CAUSE
        
        vtoNcausativebe the initial cause of, originate
        
        specifically:abstract> CORRECT
        
        vadVcolloquialTang colloquial: correctly, properly
        
        concrete:politically> GOVERN
        
        VPtoNfirst gain political control of
    - in list>
      FIRST
      - metaphorically> IMPORTANT
        
        nsubjectthe basic most important thing
      - grammatically:singular quantifier> ONLY
        
        vadV.postN{SUBJ}only N V-s
        
        grammaticalised:subordinator> ONLY THEN
        
        vt+V[0].post-Sbegin to V after S> only then, then for the first time

Additional information about 始

說文解字: 【始】，女之初也。从女、台聲。【詩止切】

Criteria

BEGIN

[ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

[[COMMON/RARE]]

[ELEVATED/VULGAR]

[FORMAL/INFORMAL]

1. Shǐ 始 (ant. zhōng 終 "bring to an end; come to an end" and chéng 成 "bring to a successful end, complete") refers quite generally to the initiating of any action. But see also ARISE

[GENERAL]

2. Zào 造 (all ant. jì 繼 "continue" and chéng 承 "continue") can come to refer to the beginning of an action.

[ARCHAIC]; [[RARE]]

3. Chū 初 (ant. mò 末 "end") is purely chronological and refers to the early stage of something that persists, without indicating any lasting influence of that early stage on later developments. See FIRST

4. Qǐ 起 is sometimes used in a rather formal way for getting underway with a major activity.

[FORMAL]

5. Qǐ 啟 typically refers to a deliberate act of initiation, by Heaven as well as by man, and the word generally belongs to the dignified style of historians or rhetoricians.

[ELEVATED], [FORMAL]

6. Zhāo 肇 is an elevated and archaic word referring to the initiation of rituals and the like.

[ELEVATED]; [[RARE]]
BEAUTIFUL

[ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

[ACOUSTIC/VISUAL]

[ARTIFICIAL/NATURAL]

[[COMMON/RARE]]

[ELEVATED/VULGAR]

[GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

[HUMAN/NON-HUMAN]

[POETIC/PROSAIC]

1. The general word is měi 美 "handsome and admirable" (ant. è 惡 "ugly") which refers to anything concrete or abstract which is attractive or handsome in a dignified way, and the word often retains its primary culinary sense of "tasty".

[GENERAL], [GRADED]; [[COMMON]]

2. Lì 麗 (ant. sù 素 "unaodorned") is often restricted to physical objects, prototypically to clothes, and emphasises their balanced symmetric beauty, occasionally also - by analogy - the well-aligned symmetric beauty of mountains.

[ELEVATED], [NON-HUMAN], [VISUAL!]

3. Wén 文 (ant. zhì 質 "merely material") emphasises cultivated external as well as internal elegance as well as traditionalism.

[ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], [NON-HUMAN], [VISUAL!]

4. Yǎ 雅 (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") emphasises primarily external elevated elegance.

[ACOUSTIC!], [ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED+], [NON-HUMAN]

5. Hǎo 好 "comely, handsome" (ant. chǒu 醜 "ugly") refers indiscriminately to men and women, but the word is sometimes more general and even abstract in application and refers to attractive words or attractive moral qualities.

[HUMAN!], [NATURAL], [VISUAL]

6. Xiù 秀 "of vigorous and imposing beauty" focusses on flourishing and flamboyant beauty in analogy with that of flowers.

[ELEVATED], [NATURAL], [NON-HUMAN], [POETIC], [VISUAL]; [[RARE]]

7. Huá 華 "of striking and colourful beauty" (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") focusses on flourishing and flamboyant superficial or only apparent beauty, on the analogy analogy with that of flowers.

[ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], NON-HUMAN], [SUPERFICIAL], [VISUAL]

8. Zhuàng 壯 "stately" (ant. ruò 弱 "weak and unsightly") is virile beauty associated with strength and vigour. See STRONG

[NATURAL], [MARGINAL], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

9. Jiā 佳 "of outstanding beauty" (NB: liè 劣 "unremarkable" is the ant. of jiā 佳 "outstanding", and not in the meaning of "outstandingly beautiful") emphasises comparative beauty compared to others in the same group.

[GRADED], [ELEVATED], [NATURAL], [POETIC]

10. Dū 都 "urbane and exquisitely beautiful" (ant. bì 鄙 "rustic and inelegant") is a highly poetic word that can only be used in elevated prose.

[ARCHAIC], [ELEVATED], [POETIC], [VISUAL]; [[RARE]]

11. Yán 妍 "attractive and exquisite (of humans as well as human products)" (ant. chì 蚩 "unattractive") refers to elaborate beauty. See SEXY.

[ARCHAIC], [ELEVATED], [HUMAN], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

12. Xiū 脩 / 修 "refined moral beauty" refers to moral as well as physical beauty, thus coming close the Greek kalokagathia, but never approaching the latter in importance as a cultural keyword.

<div>[ELEVATED], [ARTIFICIAL]; [[RARE]]</div><div> </div><div>吳蓬，東方審美詞彙集萃，上海文藝出版社，2002 lists the following rough definitions of a variety of terms of aesthetic appreciation by the artist and scholar Wu Peng. Many of these terms express conventional appreciative flattery only. This list does provide one not particularly well-known artist's subjective readings of some basic terms of traditional Chinese aesthetic approbation.</div><div>勃：富有生机之突起。 苍：浓的，毛的，老练的。 沉：沉着不浮，有重量感。 冲：调成和淡之意向。 饬：整顿。 粗：大而不笨者。 淳：清，往往易薄，然而淳是清中滋润之厚。 醇：与淳略同，这醇是提炼后的滋润之厚。 绰：与"约"字合用，即舒而不纵之意。 澹：平静而有幽淡之趣。 淡：与浓艳相对。 宕：放荡不拘。 跌：往往与"宕"字合用，即是起伏明显之状。 端：方正而不出偏，有稳实感。 敦：很实在的，结实的厚。 繁：众而密，有生气。 方：与平正同义。 丰：饱满而充足。 风：审美中之"风"指的是一种气韵格调。 飞：大幅度的流动。 刚：属于阳性的，有正力的，与柔软相对。</div><div>高：俯视一切的、超然得不一般。 工：规矩，不潦草。 孤：自我独立。 古：旧气，更有历史的抗怀千载之迹象。 骨：内在的架子。 犷：是跟"雄悍"接近，在粗中发展开来。 瑰：不单调的美。 乖：不和顺。 憨：近于拙朴而敦实。 酣：厚润四溢。 豪：激动向上之貌，有气魄。 宏：大而有气度。 厚：有沉积的饱和。 华：明亮而艳丽。 环：长久圆融之境。 荒：与"枯简"接近，不修饰。 豁：与开朗接近，然比开朗明显。 恢：宽广有余。 浑：团然一气之象，有朦胧感。 简：经过一番整修的减少。 娇：美得可爱。 警：审美中用此警字，往往指敏锐、颖达。 </div><div>劲：能察觉的力。 精：很到位。 隽：精致而具内涵之美。 娟：秀而婉丽。 崛：高起而突出。 俊：人材杰曲之美。 峻：山高而陡。在书画中是浓而锋利之用笔。 空：有灵气之空白。 枯：干而毛，生的萎缩，然亦是力的显露。 宽：大度而畅朗。 旷：广阔而空灵。 辣：是枯毛爽直的老笔触。 朗：明亮而豁然。 琅：圆而光润。 伦：是同类之意，带有文明意念。 冷：跟"淡"与"静”接近，与浓烈相对。 炼：精到而有功力。 淋：与"漓”往往合用，是无拘束的洒落。 流：明显的动感。 迈：阔而放的超势。 莽：宽广而繁密的，朴直奔放的。 袤：与"古"字合用，即悠长久远之趣。 茂：有生气的繁密。 媚：柔美之趣。 宓：安而静。 明：清晰有亮度。 凝：浓重而不流动。 懦：毫无火气之柔软。 平：一般的，接近于稳。 朴：原始状态，形象较准。 嫖：与"姚"字合用，即动疾之状，而有气势。 奇：不一般。 气：生发的，迎面直扑而来的感觉。 清：是混的相对。其间透出一股朗气。 峭：山之直而险，在书画中是露锋的侧锋用笔，有明显露 尖状态。文章中之峭，是意气直逼。 遒：婉转有致，内力强劲。 虬：与遒类似，但动感较强，弯曲而有力度。 意：诚实谨慎。 儒：代表文人之书卷气。 洒：散落无拘束。 赡：富有与丰实。若与"疏”、"逸”组合即成"澹”或"安"之义。</div><div>骚：审美中之骚字，可引伸为风骚至风流感。 韶：美丽有光泽。 涩：在不爽快的进程中，流露出内力之美。 深：不是浮面的。 神：精与气合。高端的。 生：不成熟，但比成熟有味。 肆：任意放纵。 松：松是灵活自然，是一切技巧之本要。 瘦：与粗笨相对，在审美中的"瘦"，是指细长而精练。 疏：一种稀少秀朗之美。 肃：有立即静穆下来之势。 率：与潦草随便有别，爽快而直接。 邃：深远而悠久。 阅：通达之意。 给：与"宕"合用，是安详舒放之趣。 天:很自然，一片天箱之"天"。 恬：安静而坦然。 挺：直而有生气。 婉：柔和而曲折。 温：是一种暖调与缓和的综合。</div><div>巍：往往与"峨"合用，是高大厚实之趣。 洗：与"炼”合用，即是"精炼"之意，凡物之洁出于洗。 犀：与"利"字合用，即坚利。 熙：光明，和乐。 细：指细而不纤。 娴：文静而雅致。 闲：一种高雅的自由。 萧：疏少有致。 潇：散朗而润泽。 馨：很醇厚的香气。 篁："篁古”是悠远辽阔之意。 雄：强大，有力度，有霸气。 秀：灵巧的，有生气的，美好的显露。 虚：表象空，但并非真空。 雅：文气而不俗。 妍：鲜美而柔性。 严：认真，不马虎。 淹：一种浸沉与精深明达之境。 野：超脱、不规范。 冶：经过一番精致修饰。 逸：悠闲的起伏。</div><div>意：精神倾向。 莹：透明而幽亮。 雍：往往与“容"字合用，有和顺之貌。 幽：静而深。 腴：肥润而饱和。 郁：厚积而有生气。 纤：与"迥"字合用，即弯环回绕之趣。 遹：与"瑰"字合用，即纤迥美丽之趣。 渊：往往与"懿"合用，是深润而悠美之趣。 圆：接近于饱满润滑。 蕴：与"藉"合用，即内涵丰富。 韵：一种余味不尽之趣。 恣：放纵的，无拘束的。 滋：湿润感。 自：出于本性的流露。 质：本体的，实在的。 纵：放逸无拘之状。 拙：接近朴，形不准。 庄：端正之貌。 卓：与“荤"合用，是突出明显之状。 </div><div> </div>
ORIGINALLY

1. The general word is běn 本 (ant. jìng 竟 "in the end") and refers to the crucial and formative early stage in any development.

2. Chū 初 (ant. jīn 今 "nowadays") is purely chronological and does not imply any formative influence of the beginning stage.

3. Shǐ 始 "originally" (ant. zhōng 終 "in the end") does imply a strict continuity of development from the beginnings to later stages.

4. Sù 素 "primordially" (ant. jīn 今 "nowadays") emphasises the primordial and essential purity of the earliest phase of something.
DREAM

1. The current standard word for a dream is mèng 夢.

2. Xiōng mèng 凶夢 refers to a nightmare.

ZHOULI 3 占夢：掌其歲時，觀天地之會，辨陰陽之氣。以日月星辰占六夢之吉凶，一曰正夢，二曰噩夢，三曰思夢，四曰寤夢，五曰喜夢，六曰懼夢。季冬，聘王夢，獻吉夢于王，王拜而受之。乃舍萌于四方，以贈惡夢，遂令始難驅疫。
END

1. The common noun referring to the final stage or final moment in a process is zhōng 終 (ant. shǐ 始 "beginning").

2. Bì 畢 refers to finishing or discontinuing an action after it has achieved its aim or comes to a natural end. See also COMPLETE which is frustratingly difficult to distinguish in practice from END.

3. Zú 卒 (ant. chū 初 "beginning") typically refers to a definitive and often abrupt end to a process which has lasted some time, but not for all the preceding time.

4. Occasionally jìn 盡 "exhaust" is used to refer to the end of a period.

Word relations

Ant: (BEGIN)亂/END
Ant: (BEGIN)終/END The common noun referring to the final stage or final moment in a process is zhōng 終 (ant. shǐ 始 "beginning").
Ant: (BEGIN)卒/END Zú 卒 (ant. chū 初 "beginning") typically refers to a definitive and often abrupt end to a process which has lasted some time, but not for all the preceding time.
Ant: (PAST)今/NOW The current word for the present is jīn 今. Note 趙歧on Mencius: 孟子傷今時之君 "of his time, contemporary".
Contrast: (BEGIN)母/SOURCE
Contrast: (BEGIN)本/BASIS The basic word is běn 本 "the trunk, the main part" (ant. mò 末 "marginal part") and this word refers to the crucial constituent of something in any sense. [GENERAL], [STATIC]; [[COMMON]]
Assoc: (BEGIN)未/NOT
Synon: (BEGIN)初/BEGIN Chū 初 (ant. mò 末 "end") is purely chronological and refers to the early stage of something that persists, without indicating any lasting influence of that early stage on later developments. See FIRST
Synon: (BEGIN)祖/ANCESTOR Zǔ 祖 (ant. hòu 後 "offspring") is the current general term for genetic literal ancestors. [CURRENT], [LITERAL], [MALE]
Oppos: (BEGIN)從/CONTINUE
Oppos: (BEGIN)成/ACHIEVE The current general word for successful action on one's own behalf or on someone else's behalf is chéng 成 (ant. bài 敗 "fail to achieve; botch up"). [GENERAL], [LARGE-SCALE]; [VERB]