Taxonomy of meanings for 布:　　

Additional information about 布

說文解字:

Criteria
• VULGAR
  

  1. The most general current word for ordinariness or vulgarity is sú 俗 (ant. yǎ 雅 "elegant"), and the basic parameter of judging something as sú 俗 is relative status in the hierarchy.

  2. Jiàn 賤 (ant. shàn 善 "good" and also, along different lines guì 貴 "noble") refers 1. to noble status and 2. very negatively to a person or a piece of behaviour as not conforming to any demands set by nobility of purpose or status. Lòu 陋 (ant. huá 華 "elaborate and cultivated") refers to vulgarity as a negative feature of places (streets) or behaviour.

  3. Bǐ 鄙 (ant. chóng 崇 "elevated") refers to rusticity and lack cultural polish typical of a person from outlying regions, a country bumpkin.

  4. Yě 野 (ant. wén 文 "properly educacted, civilised") refers to true country style without necessarily strong negative connotations, but with clear overtones of condescension.

  5. Zhòng 眾 (ant. zhuō 卓 "outstanding") refers to what is characteristically linked to the hoi polloi, the ordinary people at large.

  6. Pǐ fū 匹夫 and bù yī 布衣 (ant. jūn zǐ 君子 "gentleman") refer specifically to males of the lower classes or males without public employment.

  7. Pǐ fù 匹婦 refers specifically to the wife of a person without public employment.

• MONEY
  

  1. Probably the most current term for money is qián 錢, but the word became current only in Han times. The word originally referred to the agricultural implement similar to or identical with bù 布 (see below). In the Warring States period, the term was together with bù 布 used for spade-like coins. Later, it began to refer to round money casted by the Qin dynasty, and in Han times it became a current general word for money.

  2. Bì 幣 referred originally to the silk which could be used for sacrifice or as a gift. In the Warring States period, the term refer to precious things (jades, horses) often used as a gift. In Han times, the word was used like a general term for money.

  3. Dāo bù 刀布 could be used like a general term for money in the Warring States period.

  4. Bù 布 refers to the bronze coins cast in the shape of bù 布 (spade-like implement in ancient China). The earliest exemplars (of remarkably large size and with hollow handle) are known from the states of Jin and Zhou and dates from the end of the sixth century B.C.. During the following Warring States period, this type of coin (usually with a flat handle) was in use particularly in the states of Wei, Han and Zhao, but also in Chu. The coins were usually inscribed with the name of a state or city where they were cast. After Qin unification, bù 布 came out of use, but they were revived for a short time during the reign of the Wang Mang's Xin dynasty.

  5. Dāo 刀 refers to the bronze knife-like coins. They came into use slightly later than bù 布 coins, and were cast particularly in the eastern states of Yan, Qi, but also Zhao. Some exemplars survived till the early Han dynasty; later, shape-like coins were revived for two years (7 - 9 A.D.) by Wang Mang. These knife-like coins from the end of the Western Han dynasty were called cuò dāo 錯刀.

  6. Bèi 貝 originally referred to the cauri shells which were in Shang and Western Zhou times used like primitive money or like a gift. For this purpose, they were joined to péng 朋, consisting of two strings of shells, five pieces each. In the Warring States period, the word also referred to the bronze coins in the shape of cauri which were in use in the state of Chu.

  7. Huán 圜 refers to the round coin with a square hole in a centre which was cast by the states of Qin and Zhou. After Qin unification, it became general currency for a whole empire.

  8. Yuán 爰 refers to the rectangular pieces of gold which were used like money in the state of Chu. It is the earliest golden currency in China.

  9. Bàn liǎng 半兩 refers to the round coin with a central square hole which was for the first time cast by the state of Qin in the late Warring States period and which was then in use till the second half of the second century B.C.. The coin should weight half of liǎng 兩 (i.e. 12 zhū 銖 ), and this weight was recorded in an inscription on the coin; hence the name. In fact, coins of this type known from Qin and early Han times are of very various height; in early Han times, most current were coins weighting four zhu 銖.

  10. Wǔ zhū 五銖 refers to a round coin with a square hole weighting five zhū 銖 which was for the first time cast under Emperor Wudi in 118 B.C. and was then in use during the whole Han dynasty (with a short break about the time of Wang Mang's reign).

  11. Mǎ tí 馬蹄, lù tí 鹿蹄, huán tí 圜蹄, and lín zhǐ 麟趾 are various terms referring to the pieces of gold formed into the shape of horse's, deer's, or qí lín's 麒麟 hoof. This kind of currency was in use under the Han dynasty.

  12. Dà quán 大泉, xiǎo quán 小泉, zhuāng quán 壯泉, xuán quán 玄泉 are all round coins of various size dating from Wang Mang's reign.

  13. Pí bì 皮幣 refers to the money made of deer skin which were in use in the reign of Emperor Wudi (141 - 87 B.C.).

• CLOTH
  

  1. The general word for cloth is bù bó 布帛 "coarse or silk cloth".

  2. Bó 帛 refers quite generally to silk cloth. See SILK.

  3. Bù 布 refers quite generally to all kind of coarse cloth, typically made of hemp and the like, but the word is also occasionally used loosely as a general term for cloth including silk.

  4. Chī 絺 refers to fine linen or hemp cloth.

  5. Xì 綌 refers to coarse dolichos cloth.

  6. Sī 緦 refers generally to any kind of coarse cloth worn in periods of mourning.

• SCATTER
  

  1. The current standard word for scattering anything in any way is sǎn 散.

  2. Bù 布 is prototypically to spread something with a positive purpose.

  3. Shī 施 refers to dispensing something in many places and thus spreading it around, and the object of spreading is usually a benefit.

  4. Pǔ 普 refers abstractly to something being spread over a considerable area.

  5. Kuì 潰 refers to being scattered and thus ruined.

  6. Lí 離 refers to the scattering or separation of what would naturally belong together.

  7. Bò 播 refers to scattering as dissemination for good use.

• LETTER
  

  1. The general term for a letter is shū 書.

  2. Dú 牘 refers to a letter, primarily one written on a wooden tablet, but came to be used to refer to letters in general.

  3. Qǐ 啟, zhuàng 狀, zī 諮, zhá 札, yí 移, guān 關 all refer to bureaucratic correspondence concerning civil affairs.

  8. Xí 檄 and lù bù 露布 refer to bureacratic correspondence concerning military matter.

• PUBLICISE
  

  [ASCENDING/HORIZONTAL/DESCENDING]

  [ELEVATED/VULGAR]

  [FORMAL/INFORMAL]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  1. Xuān 宣 (ant.* mì 秘 "keep secret") is an announcement to a general public; and the word often refers specifically to royal or imperial promulgation.

  [DESCENDING], [GENERAL]

  2. Xùn 徇 is a proclamation which may be directed at certain sections of society or to a certain public audience.

  [DESCENDING]

  3. Shì 誓 "proclaim" refers to a proclamation which may be directed at certain sections of society only or to a currently present public. especially a military public.

  [DESCENDING], [ELEVATED], [FORMAL]

  4. Fù 訃 is primarily a ritual act (typically of announcing a death) directed at a specified relevant group. See MOURN

  [HORIZONTAL], [RITUAL], [SPECIALISED]

  5. Zhào 詔 is an authoritative general public instruction normally from a king or ruler.

  [DESCENDING], [ELEVATED], [FORMAL], [SPECIALISED]

  6. Gào 誥 / 告 "proclamation" is an oral and ritual political act by the ruler directed at the general public. (But at later stages of the language gào 告 is to superiors and gào 誥 is to inferiors.)

  [ELEVATED], [FORMAL]

  7. Bù 布 refers to the publication and announcement of something, typically of laws and regulations, primarily to officials.

  [DESCENDING], [INFORMAL], [SPECIALISED]

Word relations
• Object: (ISSUE)令/COMMAND The standard current word for a command is lìng 令, and the content (not the words) of the command is typically in the sentence that follows. We do not find: 令曰, and it is significant that lìng 令 also regularly means "to cause to". 1 Attribution
• Object: (ISSUE)德 / 得/GENEROUS Dé 德 and the rarer zé 澤 refer to graceful and spiritually inspiring munificence, typically from a person of supremely high status. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (ISSUE)施/DISTRIBUTE Shī 施 is to give away to a general group of recipients, and as an act of generosity.