Taxonomy of meanings for 封:　　

Additional information about 封

說文解字: 【封】，爵諸矦之土也。从 㞢 、从土、从寸，守其制度也。 〔小徐本作「從土、㞢、寸，寸其制度也。」〕 公矦百里，伯七十里，子、男五十里。 【徐鍇曰：各之其土也，會意。】 【府容切】 【𡉚】，古文封省。 【𡊽(𡉘)】，籒文从丰。 〔小徐本作「 【𡊽(𡉘)】，籒文封從丰、土。」在古文之前。〕

Criteria
• OPEN
  

  1. The most common general word for opening things is qǐ 啟 (ant. bì 閉 "close") which can refer to all sorts of opening up of all manner of things.

  2. Kāi 開 (ant. bì 閉 "close") and pì 闢 "open wide" (ant. fēng 封 "close tightly") refer primarily to the opening of doors, windows and the like.

  3. Fā 發 (ant. bì 閉 "close") refers to the opening of something in order to enable one to inspect the contents or to remove things from the interior.

  4. Pī 披 (ant. hé 合 "roll up") refers to the opening up of something by unrolling it.

  5. Jué 決 (ant. dǔ 堵 "block up" and sè 塞 "block up") refers to the opening up of an artificial waterway for circulation.

• RICH
  

  1. The general word for wealth is fù 富 (ant. pín 貧 "poor"), and the word has a remarkably wide range of syntactic roles.

  2. Sù fēng 素封 is an informal way of referring to substantial private wealth not conferred on one by the state.

  3. Zé 澤 "riches, rich benefits" (ant. kùn 困 "hardship") is largely limited to nominal usages and belongs to an elevated stylistic level.

  4. Yù 裕 "be generous to and make rich" (ant. jiǒng 窘 "impoverish") is marginal to the group.

  5. Ráo 饒 (ant. jí 瘠 "weakened and exhausted") refers to richness of land, and is thus also marginal to the group.

• SACRIFICE
  

  1. The most general word for making sacrificial offerings of wine and food to spirits of Heaven, of Earth and to the ancestors (perhaps primarily to the spirits of Earth and of the ancestors) is jì 祭 which has become the most common word in Warring States times, replacing sì 祀, which was more common in SHU and SHI.

  2. Sì4 祀 is an archaic word which refers to the making of sacrificial offerings of wine and food to the spirits of Heaven, of Earth and to the ancestors, perhaps primarily and originally to the spirits of Heaven.

  3. Xiǎng 饗／享 refers to making sacrificial offerings in the form of food to one's ancestors.

  4. Diàn 奠 refers specifically to making formal sacrifices to the deceased not too long after his death.

  5. Là 臘 refers specifically to the winter sacrifice to Heaven and Earth.

  6. Fēng 封 refers to an imperial sacrifice to the spirits of Heaven at mount Taishan, where an altar had to be established for the occasion.

  7. Shàn 禪 refers specifically to the imperial sacrifice to the spirits of the Earth at the foot of mount Taishan,.

  8. Wàng 望 refers to sacrifices to the spirits of mountains and streams.

  9. Yì 瘞 refers to placing something (typically jade, or domestic animals) in the ground as part of or as a form of sacrifice to a deceased person.

  10. Lèi 酹 refers to the pouring of libations of wine on the ground.

• TERRITORY
  

  1. The current general term for an area is fāng 方.

  2. Dì 地 refers to a well-defined bounded piece of territory.

  3. Qū 區 typically refers to what is regarded as a subdivision of some territory, according to some criterion.

  4. Yǔ 宇 typically refers to what is construed as a comprehensive unbounded area.

  5. Yù 域 refers to a bounded large area under someone's political control, or belonging to someone as a habitat.

  6. Bāng 邦 (primarily "state") can be used to refer in a dignified way to large tracts of land in so far as these are under the political control from some centre or capital. and occasionally the word is expanded to bāng yù 邦域 "territory".

  7. Fēng 封 is an archaic word used to refer in a dignified way to large tracts of land in so far as these are under the political control from some centre or captial, and the special emphasis is on the bounded nature of this territory.

  8. Jī 畿 refers to the metropolitan area or a central territory under the direct control of a ruler.

  9. Tián 田 can be used to refer to bounded pieces of land belonging to someone.

• BOUNDARY
  

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  [AREA/LINE]

  1. Jiè 界 is perhaps the most general word for any border or boundary of any kind, current especially from Han times onwards, but the border thus designated is typically demarkated by some signs or symbols.

  [GENERAL]

  2. Jìng 境 is the technical general term for a border or borderline between states.

  [LINE], [SPECIFIC]

  3. Fēng 封 is an ancient word referring prototypically to a demarkated border betweem territories marked by raised mounds planted with trees, and with a prototypical link to borders established by feudal enfeofment..

  [LINE], [SPECIFIC]

  4. Biān 邊 refers to a border area as viewed from the angle of what is within this border. See BORDER AREA

  [AREA],

  5. LŸè 略 is sometimes used to refer to the borders between territories or states in ZUO.

  [ARCHAIC], [LINE]; [[RARE]]

  6. Fēng jiāng 封疆 refers in an abstract or bureaucratic way to all manner of boundaries.

  7. Xiàn 限 is an elevated very rare term for a delimitation regarded as something set deliberately rather than naturally or historically given. Compare also LIMIT

  [ELEVATED], [+FIG]; [[RARE]]

• SEAL
  

  1. General word for the seal was originally xǐ 璽, and this could refer to the seals used both by officials and commoners, particularly traders. Originally, seals perhaps served mainly to the exchange of goods in Warring States times, but in the same period they came to be used by officials as a symbol of administrative authority. Official documents had to be all sealed with a piece of mud adhered on the cord tying up the document and impressed with an official seal. In the Han period, the word xǐ 璽 came to refer to the seals used by an Emperor and members of his family; these were usually made of jade.

  2. Yìn 印 refers to the seals used by officials as a symbol of authority and also status in the bureaucratic hierarchy. The word began to be used in the Warring States period. Seals were worn tied to the waist (perhaps in a small sack; but there are also sealing fingerrings known from the Han period), were mostly of square shape, and material of which they were made expressed status of their holders. According to Han texts, the highest officials and aristocracy had golden seals, the lower silver, and minor officials had seals made of bronze.

  3. Zhāng 章 is the word for the official seal which was used since Han times onwards.

  4. Fēng ní 封泥 refers to the the piece of mud adhered on a document and impressed with a seal. The mud used for this purpose was worn in special tubes.

• SHUT
  

  1. The most general word for closing anything is probably bì 閉.

  2. Guān 關 refers specifically to shut and lock a door with a bolt.

  3. Jiǒng 扃 refers to closing and locking a door from the outside.

  4. Hé 闔 is an archaic and dignified word for closing something, mostly a door.

  5. Mán 瞞 refers occassionally to closing one's eyes.

  6. Fēng 封 can refer to closing and sealing something.

• INSTALL
  

  1. The general term for installing someone in a high position is lì 立.

  2. Fēng 封 refers specifically to installing a person in an enfeoffed position.

  3. Jiàn 建 primarily refers to the establishment not of a person but of the position itself; however, the word does occasionally refer to the establishment of a person in the position of a ruler.

  NB: Jí wèi 即位 and the rarer as well as more elevated jiàn zuò 踐阼 refer to the act of ascending the throne, i.e. to "being installed".

Word relations
• Contrast: (APPOINT)官/EMPLOY
• Contrast: (APPOINT)拜/APPOINT Bài 拜 (ant. biǎn 貶 "demote to a lower position in the hierarchy at court") refers formally and bureaucratically to a high appointment at court. [POLITE], [SPECIFIED]; [vtt!]
• Assoc: (BOUNDARY)洫/BOUNDARY Xù 洫 refers to a canal which serves as a boundary for a territory. 1 Attribution
• Synon: (APPOINT)拜/APPOINT Bài 拜 (ant. biǎn 貶 "demote to a lower position in the hierarchy at court") refers formally and bureaucratically to a high appointment at court. [POLITE], [SPECIFIED]; [vtt!]