Taxonomy of meanings for 左:　　

  • zuò (OC: skaals MC: tsɑ) 則箇切 去 廣韻：【左右又作可切 】
  • zuǒ (OC: skaalʔ MC: tsɑ) 臧可切 上 廣韻：【左右也亦姓齊之公族有左右公子後因氏焉又漢複姓二氏左傳宋公子目夷爲左師其後爲氏秦有左師觸龍晉先蔑爲左行其後爲氏漢有御史左行恢臧可切三 】
  • zuǒ (OC: ʔsaalʔ MC: tsɑ) 臧可切 上 廣韻：【戾也説文曰左手也象形 】
    • LEFT
      • geographic: east>DIRECTION
        • nthe left side
        • vadNleft
        • vadVwith the left hand; on the left side
        • vadVtowards lefttowards the left
        • viactsteer left; turn left; keep to the left
        • vtoNcausativeput on the left; place on the left-hand side
        • npost-Nthe left hand side of NCH
        • vtoNhave on one's left-hand side, as an advisorCH
      • metaphorical>BAD
          • putative>DESPISE
            • vtoNdisapprove
          • putative>DISAGREE
              • active>HINDER
                • vtoNab{S}be in the way of; oppose
        • exocentric: cf. German die Linke>HAND
          • nthe left hand/arm
          • v[adN.]adVinstrumentwith the left hand
          • exocentric: left>ARMY
            • nleft wing of an army; Army of the Left
      • zuǒLEG
        • nleft legLZ
      • zuǒWITNESS
        • v[adN]a witness
        • vtoNpost-v (XINTANGSHU): bear witness to

      Additional information about 左

      說文解字: 【左】，手相左助也。 〔小徐本作「手左相佐也。」〕 从、工。凡左之屬皆从左。 【則箇切】 【臣鉉等曰：今俗別作佐。】

        Criteria
      • OLIVE

        000 左思 mentions the olive tree.

      • WITNESS

        1. The current general word for bearing witness to something or against something is zhèng 證.

        2. Zuǒ 左 is occasionally used to refer to a witness for or against something.

      • MINISTER

        1. The general word for a government minister at any level and of any kind is chén 臣, generically rén chén 人臣.

        2. Zuǒ yòu 左右 refers to the senior ministers in the immediate environment of a king or duke who were able, ex officio, to speak up in court.

        3. Xiàng 相 refers to the head of the group of ministers, the prime minister, also called yǐn 尹 or lìng yǐn 令尹 in the southern state of Chǔ.

        4. Qīng 卿 refers to a member of the group fo senior ministers, variously defined.

        The list of senior official titles in ancient China is long indeed. See Hucker and Zuo Yandong's monograph.

      • NOBLE

        [ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

        [BASIC/MARGINAL]

        [ELEVATED/FAMILIAR]

        [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

        [OBJECTIVE/SUBJECTIVE]

        [OFFICIAL/INOFFICIAL]

        [PRIVATE/PUBLIC]

        1. Zūn 尊 (ant. bēi 卑 "lowly, vulgar") is the current word for publicly recognised objective nobility and high status, and the word refers to objective social status in society.

        [ELEVATED], [GRADED], [HIGH-DEGREE], [OBJECTIVE], [PUBLIC], [SOCIAL]

        2. Guì 貴 (ant. jiàn 賤 "of low character") adds to the notion of high social status that of subjectively appreciated nobility of character.

        [GRADED], [HIGH-DEGREE], [PERSONAL], [PUBLIC], [SUBJECTIVE]

        3. Gāo 高 (ant. xià 下 "of lowly status") refers to objective high position in a hierarchy.

        [OBJECTIVE], [PUBLIC], [HIGH-DEGREE]

        4. Shàng 尚 (ant. bǐ 鄙 "of vulgar status") adds to the notion of objective high position in a hierarchy the subjectively appreciated feature of admirability

        [MARGINAL], [SUBJECTIVE]

        5. Shàng 上 (ant. xià 下 "of lower status") refers occasionally to (comparative) seniority in a hierarchy.

        [HIGH-DEGREE], [OBJECTIVE], [OFFICIAL], [PUBLIC]

        6. Yòu 右 (ant. zuǒ 左 "be of relatively lower status") can occasionally refer to relative seniority within the bureaucracy.

        [GRADED], [OBJECTIVE], [OFFICIAL], [PUBLIC]

      • HAND

        1. The standard word is shǒu 手 "hand", which can refer to the arm as a whole.

        2. Quán 拳 "fist" refers to the clenched fist.

        3. Zuǒ 左 and yòu 右 are words used for the left and right hand respectively.

        4. Wàn 腕／掔 refers to the wrist.

        Word relations