Taxonomy of meanings for 宗:　　

Additional information about 宗

說文解字: 【宗】，尊祖廟也。从宀、从示。 〔小徐本「示」上無「从」。〕 【作冬切】

Criteria
• TEMPLE
  

  1. The most common word for an ancestral temple in ancient China was miào 廟, and this word refers to the royal ancestral temple as well as to the ancestral temples of feudal lords and senior officials and even ordinary shì 士 "gentlemen, freemen". The Son of Heaven had seven of these, feudal lords had five, dàfū 大夫 had three and ordinary freemen had one. Ordinary people sacrificed in the qǐn 寢 "back room (also used as bedroom)" where the altar would traditionally occupy the north-western corner.

  2. Zōng 宗 "founding ancestor of a clan" is used by synecdoche to refer to the permanent ancestral temple where he is venerated together with his deceased successors. The word has an archaic flavour.

  3. Tiāo 祧 is a technical term for a shrine, sometimes specifically a non-permanent shrine for a distant ancestor, a shrine that could be removed and replaced by a mere altar. In the common combination zōng tiā1o 宗祧 it would appear that tiāo 祧 refers to a shrine within the larger temple complex.

  4. Cí 祠 referred originally to a small temple built near a grave where the deceased were venerated, but the term came to be used more generally to refer to a private family temple where both ancesters and other divinities of all kinds were venerated. These establishments could be very large in large clans, and very small in small clans.

  5. The case of qǐn 寢 is historically very complex. Four uses of the word must be distinguished. A. Qǐn 寢 referred in Spring and Autumn times to a part of the miào 廟 attached to it at as a back-room qǐn 寢 which was a luxuriously appointed bedroom for the use of the ancestors, where these could sleep and where they were also served as if alive (although these concrete practices are first mentioned in Han sources). B. In Warring States times the qǐn 寢 was moved to the vicinity of royal tombs to serve as a place of worship. See TOMB. C. Also, the term referred to the back room behind the formal main hall in which the spirits were venerated (in private homes in the north-western corner).

• BROTHER
  

  1. The standard collective term for brothers is xiōng dì 兄弟.

  2. Xiōng 兄 can refer to the eldest brother as the head of his own generation (explicitly bó xiōng 伯兄 ), but it word often refers more generally to elder brothers, including those who are not the heir in the clan.

  3. Dì 弟 refers to the younger brothers, and never specifically to the youngest.

  4. Zōng zǐ 宗子 is a specific, formal, and ritual term for the eldest brother and heir in a family, typically after the death of whom he succeeds. See HEIR.

  5. Zhòng 仲 refers to the next-eldest or second-eldest brother.

  6. Bó 伯／霸 is the technical term for the eldest brother, and this word is sometimes expanded to bó xiōng 伯兄.

  7. Jì 季 refers to the last-born brother or sister.

  8. Kūn dì 昆弟 refers to brothers in general, but there is a pervasive doubt whether it does not also include the notion of cousins. See COUSIN.

• FAMILY
  

  1. The current dominant word is jiā 家 which refers to a whole household, including men, domestic animals and utensils as well as the whole clan system that defines its lineage affiliation.

  2. Zōng 宗 refers unambiguously as a technical term to the lineage group.

  3. Zú 族 refers to the extended lineage group including all manner of in-laws, with the outer boundaries of reference ill-defined.

  4. Shì 室 refers to a (typically substantial or powerful) household with all its appurtenances.

  5. Mén 門 refers to the any complete respectable household including servants and dogs.

  6. Hù 戶 refers to any complete household whatever, often in administrative contexts, with no regard to its status of respectability or political influence.

  7. Nú 孥 is an archaic rare word referring to the members of a family.

  NB: For 氏 and 姓 see NAME.

• RESPECT
  

  1. The current general word for typically public respectful attitudes and actions is jìng 敬 (ant. màn 慢 "fail to show proper respect for").

  2. Gōng 恭 (ant. jù 倨 "behave in an informal impolite way") refers specifically to private proper polite and respectful attitudes shown to a deserving person.

  3. Zūn 尊 (ant. bǐ 鄙 "consider as not worthy of any veneration or respect") refers to psychological public or private respect for someone in a very exalted social, cultural, religious and/or political position, and the degree of public respect is much greater that that in jìng 敬 and reaches into the past to ancestors.

  4. Chóng 崇 and zōng 宗 refers to distant and typically religious veneration of a spirit or person very highly regarded. SHI 靡神不宗 "there are no spirits which we have not honoured"

  5. Lǐ 禮 (ant. màn 慢 "treat without proper ritual respect") refers to a proper show of public demonstrative respect for someone on the part of a host or a superior.

  6. Wèi 畏 (ant. xiá 狎 "treat without the proper respect due to someone in high position, treat with improper familiarity") refers to awe-struck respect for a person in authority.

  7. Lóng 隆 typically refers to due diligent respect for abstract values.

  8. Qīn 欽 is an archaic courtly word referring to formal conformity with the rules of polite respect for superiors on public occasions.

  9. Zhī 知 focusses on proper appreciation of a person, accompanied by recognition of that person's worth.

• BASIS
  

  [ABSTRACT/CONCRETE]

  [[COMMON/RARE]]

  [DYNAMIC/STATIC]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  1. 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]]

  2. Duān 端 "beginning" (ant. mò 末 "marginal part") is current in the meaning "initial crucial element, initiating fundamental property", and this is a very philosophial subtle word which conceives of what is crucial as dynamically affecting the rest.

  [ABSTRACT], [DYNAMIC]

  3. Gēn 根 "the root from which things spring" (ant. miǎo 杪 "small twig") is often used together with běn 本, but can also by itself be used in metaphorical senses, but the word is much rarer than běn 本 in this meaning.

  [STATIC]

  4. Jī 基 is sometimes used in a literal sense of "foundation on which something rests", but the word is common in figurative senses as in "the solid foundations of the state".

  [CONCRETE], [STATIC]

  5. Zōng 宗 is ethereal and always abstract, sometimes even purely semantic in meaning.

  [ABSTRACT], [STATIC]; [[RARE]]

  6. Yīn 因 (ant. guǒ 果 "result") is causal in meaning and emphasises the dynamic causal link between the yīn 因 and whatever is based on it.

  [GENERAL], [DYNAMIC]

• IN-LAWS
  

  1. The general term for in-laws is wài zōng 外宗.

  2. Hòu jī 后姬 refers to royal or imperial in-laws.

• NATION
  

  1. The current standard word for the nation as represented by the leading families, and opposed to the state as mere territory and inhabitants, is guó jiā 國家.

  2. Shè jì 社稷 refers to the altars of the land and grain as symbols of the nation.

  3. Bāng guó 邦國 is an ancient general territorially focussed designation for a nation which continues in nostalgic use.

  4. Zōng miào 宗廟 "ancestral temples" is the very common metonymic designation for the nation as a primarily ritual and perhaps even religious entity, and it is important that the symbolic reference to the buildings often remains relevant to the abstract meaning of the term.

• ANCESTOR
  

  [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

  [+FIG/LITERAL]

  [FEMALE/MALE]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  1. Zǔ 祖 (ant. hòu 後 "offspring") is the current general term for genetic literal ancestors.

  [CURRENT], [LITERAL], [MALE]

  2. Xiān 先 (ant. hòu 後 "offspring") refers even more generally to predecessors, but may specifically refer to ancestors, and the term is often used adjectivally.

  [CURRENT], [DERIVED], [GENERAL], [MALE]

  3. Zōng 宗 is the specific term referring to founding highest ancestor recognised within a clan.

  [CURRENT], [MALE], [SPECIFIC]

  4. Mǔ 母 is sometimes used to refer to femals ancestors.

  [ARCHAIC], [FEMALE]

  5. 考

  6. 妣 refers to the maternal line ancestor

• MOUNTAINS
  

  8. Qí shān 岐山 is located in the northeast of the modern Qishan district, Shaanxi province. It was also called Tiān zhǔ shān 天柱山 Fēnghuángduī4 風凰堆. Ancient Zhou centers were located close to this mountain. For this reason, Qí shān 岐山 is mentioned already in the Shijing.

  9. Qíliánshān 祁連山 is another name for Tiānshān 天山. This mountain range is located in the southern and western part of the modern Xinjiang. It is divided into two groups - the northern in the central Xinjiang, and the southern in the southern Xinjiang. The former is identical with the modern Tiānshān 天山, the latter includes modern Kūnlúnshān 昆侖山, A3ěrjīnshān 阿爾金, and Qíliánshān 祁連山.These mountains are already mentioned in the Shiji, Xiongnu liezhuan.

  10. D4àyǔlíng 大庾岭 refers to the mountains on the borders of the modern Jiangxi and Guangdong.

  11. Yīnshān 陰山 refers to the mountains in the central part of the modern Inner Mongolia. Mentioned already in the Shiji.

  12. Qínlíng 秦岭 is a mountain range dividing the northern and southern parts of China. It is also a water-shed dividing the drainage areas of the Weì 渭, Huái 淮, and Hàn 漢 rivers. It spreads from the borders of the Qinghai and Gansu to the central part of Henan. This range includes important mountains, such as Mínshān 岷山, Huàshān 華山, and Sǒngshān 嵩山. Qínlíng 秦岭 in the narrow sense refers to the part of the range in the modern Shaanxi.

  13. Yānshān 燕山 refers to the mountains on the northern edge of the Hebei plains.

  14. Wǔyíshān 武夷山 is the name of the mountains on the borders of the modern Jiangxi and Fujian provinces. The earliest references I have found are post-Han.

  15. Taìhéngshān 太行山 refers to the mountain range on the borders of the modern Henan, Shanxi, and Hebei. In the south, it reaches to the Huanghe. The name already occurs in the texts of the Warring States period [YUGONG chapter in the SHANGSHU].

  16. Kūnlúnshān 昆侖山 is the name of the mountains on the borders of the modern Xinjiang and Tibet. It runs from the east to the west in the length of 2500 km. It is already referred to in the texts of the Warring states and Han periods [SHANHAIJING, HUAINANZI, MU TIANZI ZHUAN].

  17. Tiānshān 天山 are mountains in the central part of the modern Xinjiang. The name already occurs in the SHANHAIJING and HANSHU.

  18. Jǐuzǐshān 九子山 is an ancient name of the Jiǔhuáshān 九華山 in the modern Qingyang county of the Anhui province. The latter name was in use since the Tang.

  19. Dàbāshān 大巴山 refers to the mountains on the borders of the modern Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Hubei.

  20. Yàndàngshān 雁蕩山 are the mountains in the southeastern part of the modern Zhejiang province.

  21. Wūshān 巫山 is located on the borders of the modern Sichuan and Hubei. The Changjiang flows through its central part, creating famous Three gorges.

  22. Jūnshān 君山 is the mountain in the center of the Dongting lake, modern Hunan province. Also called Dòngtíngshān 洞庭山.

  23. Běimáng 北邙 is the mountain range in the modern Henan. Also called Mángshān 芒山, Běishān 北山.It runs from Sanmenxia in the West to the bank of the Yīluò river in the East. Since the Eastern Han, princes and high officers were buried on its slopes north to the Luoyang.

  24. Běigùshān 北固山 is the mountain in the northeastern part of the modern city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province.

  25. Wúshān 吳山 is name of the three important mountains.

  a. In the north of the Pinglu county, Shanxi province. According to HOUHANSHU, on the peak of it, there there was located the city of Yǔ 麌.

  b. To the south-east of the Xihu lake in the Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province. In the Chunqiu period, it was the western border of the state of Wú, hence the name.

  c. In the southwestern part of the Long county, Shaanxi province. According to ERYA, it was one of the Five sacred mountains, 五岳.

  26. Dìngjūnshān 定軍山 is located in the southeatern part of the modern Mian county, Shaanxi province. In 219 A.D., near these mountains, army of Liu Bei defeated one of the Cao Caos generals.

  27. Fúniúshān 伏牛山 is ancient name for the Jīnshān 金山, northwest to the modern city of Zhenjiang in the Jiangsu province. The latter name came to be used in the Tang. Also called Huófú 獲箙, Fúyù 浮玉 mountains.　

  28. Jiāoshān 焦山 is located to the northeast of the modern city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province.

  29. Tài sh1an 泰山 is the most important of the Five sacred mountains. It was also called Dōngyuè 東岳, Daìzōng 岱宗, Daìshān 岱山, Daìyuè 岱岳, Taìyuè 泰岳. It is located in the central part of the modern Shandong province. The mountain range runs from the eastern margin of the Dōngpíng 東平 lake in the northwestern direction to the modern Linbo city. It is about 200 km long. Since antiquity, Chinese rulers sacrificed on the Tài sh1an. The earliest evidence is in SHIJING.

  30. Huàshān 華山 is the westernmost of the Five sacred peaks, henceforth it was also called Xīyuè 西岳. It is located in the southern part of the modern Yin county, Shaanxi province. Its height is 1997 m.

  31. Héng shān �琱 sis the northernmost of the Five sacred peaks, henceforth it was also called Běiyuè 北岳.From the Han to the Ming, the sacred Héng shān �琱 swas located in the northwestern part of the modern Quyang county of the Hebei province.

  32. Héng shān 衡山 is the southernmost of the Five sacred mountains, and is also called Nányuè 南岳. It is located in the modern Hengshan county in the Hunan province, and is 1290 m high, and several hundred km long. It is refered to already in SHANGSHU, SHUN DIAN.　

  33. Sōng shān 嵩山 is the central of the Five sacred peaks, and it was also called Sōngyuè 嵩岳. It belongs to the Fúniúshān 伏牛山 mountain range, and is located in the modern Dengfeng county in the Henan province. It is already mentioned in the SHIJING.

  34. Niúzhǔshān 牛渚山 is the name of the mountains on the bank of the Changjiang in the northwestern part of the modern Dangtu county, Anhui province.

  35. Bāgōngshān 八公山 are the mountains in the western part of the modern city of Huainan, Anhui province. It is located west of the Féishuǐ 淝水, and south of the Huáishǔi 淮水. In 383 A.D. famous battle of Feishui took place close to this mountain.

  36. Jiǔyíshān 九疑山, also called Cāngyǔshān 蒼木吾山, are the mountains in the modern Ningyuan county in the Hunan province. According to the Shiji, the sage emperor Shun died and was buried there.

  37. Chìchéngshān 赤城山 are the mountains in the northwestern part of the modern Tiantai, Zhejiang province. First mentioned in the Jin dynasty.

  38. Lúshān 盧山 are the mountains in the southern part of the modern Jiujiang town, Jiangxi province. Also called Kuāngshān 匡山, Kuānglú 匡盧, Nánzhàng4shān 南障山. The name is already mentioned in the Han times. It is said that both Emperor Yu and First emperor climbed the mountains when travelling to the South.

  39. Sh3ouyángshān 首陽山 are the mountains in the southern part of the modern Yongji county, Shanxi province. According to the tradition (for the first time mentioned in the LUNYU), it was in these mountains, where Boyi and Shuqi lived in hermitage. The mountains are already referred to in the SHIJING.

  40. E2méishān 峨嵋山 is the name of the mountains in the southwestern part of the modern Emei county, Sichuan province. It is already mentioned in the HUAYANG GUOZHI of the Jin dynasty. It belongs to the four famous mountains of buddhism.

  41. Qīngchéngshān 青城山 are the mountains in the southwestern part of the modern Guan county, Sichuan province. According to the tradition, it was there where in the Han times Zhang Daoling practiced dao.

  42. Luófúshān 羅浮山 are the mountains on the north bank of the Dōngjiāng 東江 river in the modern Guangdong province. According to the tradition, during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Ge Hong practiced dao there.

Word relations
• Assoc: (FAMILY)室/FAMILY Shì 室 refers to a (typically substantial or powerful) household with all its appurtenances. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (TEMPLE)廟/TEMPLE The most common word for an ancestral temple in ancient China was miào 廟, and this word refers to the royal ancestral temple as well as to the ancestral temples of feudal lords and senior officials and even ordinary shì 士 "gentlemen, freemen". The Son of Heaven had seven of these, feudal lords had five, dàfū 大夫 had three and ordinary freemen had one. Ordinary people sacrificed in the qǐn 寢 "back room (also used as bedroom)" where the altar would traditionally occupy the north-western corner. 6 Attributions
• Assoc: (FAMILY)族/FAMILY Zú 族 refers to the extended lineage group including all manner of in-laws, with the outer boundaries of reference ill-defined. 5 Attributions
• Assoc: (TEMPLE)祧/TEMPLE Tiāo 祧 is a technical term for a shrine, sometimes specifically a non-permanent shrine for a distant ancestor, a shrine that could be removed and replaced by a mere altar. In the common combination zōng tiā1o 宗祧 it would appear that tiāo 祧 refers to a shrine within the larger temple complex. 6 Attributions
• Assoc: (RESPECT)朝/RESPECT1 Attribution
• Assoc: (ANCESTOR)祖/ANCESTOR Zǔ 祖 (ant. hòu 後 "offspring") is the current general term for genetic literal ancestors. [CURRENT], [LITERAL], [MALE] 2 Attributions
• Synon: (ANCESTOR)祖/ANCESTOR Zǔ 祖 (ant. hòu 後 "offspring") is the current general term for genetic literal ancestors. [CURRENT], [LITERAL], [MALE]