Taxonomy of meanings for 守:　　

  • shǒu (OC: qhjuʔ MC: ɕiu) 書九切 上 廣韻：【主守亦姓出姓苑 】
  • SAFEGUARD
    • nobjectwhat is safeguarded; property; holding
    • nabactdefensive/self-protective measure
    • v[adN]guardians (of some treasured thing)
    • viacttake good care of things/states
    • vt(oN)figurativeguard, preserve (a contextually determinate abstract N)
    • vtoNpreserve; keep to and ensure that one does not lose; hold in reserve
    • vtoNconcreteprotect
    • vtoNfigurativekeep in good shape, look well after; take good care of; retain carefully, guard
    • vtoNN=placekeep guard at
    • vtoNpassivebe properly safeguarded
    • vt(oN)keep the contextually determinate place safe
    • vtoNreflexive.自take good care of oneself
    • vtoNabobject=abstractkeep unchanged,make a preferential effort to preserve and cultivateCH
    • against attack etc> DEFEND
      • nabactdefensive warfare, defense
      • vadNdefensive; guard- 守狗
      • viactundertake defensive tasks; be in charge of the defence of the state
      • vt(oN)defend the contextually determinate object
      • vtoNdefend; guard; protect
      • vtoNpassivebe effectively defended
      • vtoNreflexive.自defend (oneself)
      • vtoNfigurativeact in defense and support of NCH
      • object: enemy> FEND OFF
        • vtoNguard against
      • generalised> WORK
        • nabactassigned task, official work; task performed
        • vtoNwork on carefully, take protective care ofCH
    • by acting in accordance with> CONFORM
      • vtoNabkeep in conformity with (Nature, the Way); observe carefully (duties etc); devote oneself carefully to the demands of
      • object conformed to> PRINCIPLE
        • nabpsychwhat one holds onto as principles> self-control; principled steadfastness of moral stance
        • vt[oNab]conform with [one's principles]
  • shòu (OC: qhjus MC: ɕiu) 舒救切 去 廣韻：【太守 】
    • shòu derivation by tone change: exocentric> RULER
      • nagentgovernor; governor of a jùn 郡
      • action> GOVERN
        • viactrun the administration; run an administration
        • vt(oN)govern the contextually determinate object; remain in charge of the contextually determinate place N so as to safeguard it
        • vtoNbe in charge of, keep order in
        • what one performs when governing> DUTY

      Additional information about 守

      說文解字: 【守】，守官也。从宀、从寸。寺府之事者。 〔小徐本「者」作「也」。〕 从寸，寸，法度也。 〔小徐本無「也」。〕 【書九切】

        Criteria
      • DEFEND

        1. The standard general word for defending a community is wèi 衛 (ant. gōng 攻 "attack").

        2. The standard word for defending a place is shǒu 守 (ant. gōng 攻 "attack").

        3. Yù 禦 is to hinder attack effectively and successfully. See HINDER

        4. Fáng 防 refers to defending a concrete or abstract thing successfully.

        5. Hàn 扞 / 捍 is to try to resist an outside attack successfully.

        6. Bǎo 保 is to try to ensure the safety of one's place against a threat from outside.

        7. Shù 戍 put up a (not necessarily successful) military defense.

        8. Bèi 備 is to make defensive arrangements.

        9. Yù 豫 is to make defensive arrangements well ahead in time or in good time. [See also PREPARE][CA]

        10. Kàng 亢 typically refers to the mounting of a vigorous and energetic offensive defence against a violent attack.

      • SAFEGUARD

        1. Bǎo 保 (which emphasises safety against dangers or threats) and shǒu 守 (which emphasises good care and the ensuring that something is not lost or impaired) are the two general words for safeguarding things.

        2. Quán 全 refers specifically to keeping a thing in perfect undiminished shape.

        3. Chí 持 refers specifically to supporting something in a vigorous and sound state.

        4. Bì 庇 refers to protection of inferiors by their superiors.

        5. Hù 護 typically refers to protection of superiors by inferiors.

      • ATTACK

        [ASCENDING/DESCENDING]

        [CIVIL/MILITARY]

        [COMMENDATORY/DEROGATORY]

        [COVERT/OVERT]

        [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

        [LARGE-SCALE/SMALL-SCALE]

        1. The general word for any attack is gōng 攻 (ant. shǒu 守 "defend"; success kè 克 ) which can be used in a general sense referring to all kinds of attack, although that word does also have the specific meaning of a pointed campaign against a certain locality. (Note 戰必勝，攻必克。 )

        [GENERAL]

        2. Fá 伐 refers to a large-scale typically destructive formal attack by one state on another, typically formally announced, and with much beating of drums.

        [DESCENDING], [MILITARY!], [LARGE-SCALE!], [OVERT]

        3. Qīn 侵 refers to a less formal attack, typically unannounced beforehand, and typically aimed at taking the enemy's territory.

        [COVERT!], [DEROGATORY], [MILITARY], [SPECIFIC]

        4. Xí 襲 refers to a surreptitious attack, on the sly, without any self-righteous pomp.

        [COVERT+], [MILITARY], [SPECIFIC]

        5. Zhēng 征 refers to a typically punitive campain of some size against a state, construed as being of lower status.

        [COMMENDATORY], [DESCENDING], [MILITARY], [LARGE-SCALE], [OVERT]

        6. Tǎo 討 refers to a an extended explicitly punitive campaign by someone who construes himself as being in moral authority and entitled to uphold rectitude and morality through warfare. (Also figurative as in 天討有罪 "Heaven punishes those who are guilty". See PUNISH)

        [COMMENDATORY], [DESCENDING+], [MILITARY], [OVERT]

        7. Wéi 圍 refers specifically to military attack by surrouding the enemy.

        [MILITARY], [OVERT], [SPECIFIC]

        8. Kòu 寇 refers derogatorily to a wanton enemy attack.

        [DEROGATORY+], [MILITARY]

      • RULER

        1. The current general word for a person in charge of or senior to others is zhǔ 主 (ant. pú 僕 "servant").

        2. Jūn 君 (ant. chén 臣 "minister") refers specifically to someone who is politically or administratively in charge of others as a ruler.

        3. Wáng 王 (contrast bà 霸 "hegemon basing his role on power rather than moral authority") refers specifically to someone who is enfeoffed as a formal ruler of what counts as a state in ancient China.

        4. Gōng 公 has many related meaning, but when following after the name of a state the word refers specifically to the ruler of an enfeoffed kingdom under the Son of Heaven who belongs to the royal lineage. After personal names, or used absolutely, the word may generally refer to to rulers of any rank and might be fastidiously translated as "his lordship".

        5. Hóu 侯 refers specifically to someone who is enfeoffed with a kingdom (or by Han times a minor administrative area) by the Son of Heaven as a hereditary feudal lord.

        6. Bà 霸 (contr. wáng 王 "regular king"), sometimes also written 伯 refers to a person who is in actual control of an area and specifically to one who acts as the leader of the feudal lords, and the term is sometimes used pejoratively for a "tyrant" caring for his own interests rather than those of his subordinates.

        7. Lìng 令 refers specifically to someone who is controlling a xiàn 縣 by order of a king.

        8. Shǒu 守 refers specifically to someone who is controlling a jùn 郡 by order of the emperor.

        9. Mù 牧 refers specifically to someone who is controlling a zhōu 州 by order of the emperor in Eastern Han times.

        10. Shàng 上 can refer to any governing authority or ruler, but by Han times the word became a standard polite way of referring to the Han emperor.

        11. Chán-yú 單于 refers specifically to the ruler of the Xiōngnú 匈奴. Cf. the Tang term kēhān 可汗 "Khan".

        12. Háo 豪 refers to a person of power but without formally recognised bureaucratic status.

        13. Kuí 魁 refers to a powerful popular leader unrecognised by government.

      • REGION

        1. The general old word for a region is zhōu 州 as in jiǔ zhōu 九州 "the Nine Regions of the World". Especially from Three Kingdom times onwards this word came to regularly replace the term jùn 郡 as the designation of a province. In Han times, under emperor Wǔdì, the leader of a zhōu 州 is called cì shǐ 刺史.

        2. Xiàn 縣 referred to a military region under states already in Spring and Autumn times, and these regions were in the border regions. Later, especially in the state of Qin, annexed states were converted into 36 jùn 郡 "commanderies" (governed by a tài shǒu 太守 "governor") which in turn were subdivided into xiàn 縣 "districts" (governed by a lìng 令 "commander" or zhǎng 長 "official-in-charge").

      • CONFORM

        1. Perhaps the most general and the most current word describing conformity to a norm is shùn 順 (ant. nì 逆 "go against").

        2. Yóu 由 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking something as one's starting point or point of orientation.

        3. Dào 道 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking one's model to define the way of doing things for one.

        4. Yǐ 以 refers to conformity construed as a matter of availing oneself of something as an instrument or guideline.

        5. Yīn 因 refers to conformity construed as a matter of adapting to pre-existing models or rules.

        6. Yuán 緣 refers to conformity construed as a matter of following something attentively in all details as a guideline.

        7. Shǒu 守 refers to conformity construed as a matter of guarding a precedent or a tradition.

        8. Zhōu 周 and hé 合 (all ant. fǎn 反 "go against the model") refer to complete all-round conformity construed as overall identification with a model.

        9. Chèn 稱 refers to conformity construed as a matter of balancing one's actions against a standard.

        10. Yìng 應 and

        shì 適 refer to conformity construed as a matter of responding adequately to given facts.

        12. Cóng 從 and suí 隨 refer to conformity construed as a matter of following a lead.

        12. Tīng 聽 refers specifically to a superior acting in conformity with his inferior's suggestions.

        Word relations
      • Result: (DEFEND)固/SAFE Gù 固 (ant.* sōng 鬆 "not right and impregnable") refers specifically to the provision of natural or military defenses against possible enemies.
      • Ant: (DEFEND)攻/ATTACK The generalword for any attack is gōng 攻 (ant. shǒu 守 "defend") which can be used in a general sense referring to all kinds of attack, although that word does also have the specific meaning of a pointed campaign against a certain locality. [GENERAL]
      • Object: (SAFEGUARD)要/IMPORTANT The most general term for the relative importance and crucial nature of something is yào 要 (ant. xì 細).
      • Object: (SAFEGUARD)法/LAW The current general word for a law, a legal system or any legal provision of any kind is fǎ 法.
      • Object: (GOVERN)職/OFFICE Zhí 職 are the official duties attached to a bureaucratic office. See DUTY
      • Object: (CONFORM)法/LAW The current general word for a law, a legal system or any legal provision of any kind is fǎ 法.
      • Epithet: (DEFEND)備/PROVIDE The current general word for preparing something or supplying something in good time is bèi 備, and what is thus supplied is typically part of some larger scheme.
      • Oppos: (DEFEND)爭/FIGHT The current general word for any form of conflict or competition is zhēng 爭 (ant. ràng 讓 "give polite precedence to"). However, the word specifically focusses on competition rather than physical violence.