Taxonomy of meanings for 席:　　

  • 席 xí (OC: sɢljaɡ MC: ziɛk) 祥易切 入 廣韻：【薦席又藉也大戴禮曰武王踐阼有席銘亦姓出安定其先姓藉避項羽名改姓席氏晉有席坦祥易切六 】
    • MAT
      • nmat to sit on, usually, on festive occasions, this mat being put on another rough mat on the floor; sometimes: mat to sleep on
      • nsleepinga mat for sleeping on
      • nadVreference=objectlike a mat
      • n(post-N)one's mat for sitting on, one's seatCH
      • adverbial: like one whole mat, completely>ALL
        • used as>SAIL
          • specific>BAMBOO MAT
            • generalised>SEAT
              • nmat used as a seat
            • related actiivty>FEAST
              • related action>SIT
                • viacttake a seat on a mat

            Additional information about 席

            說文解字: 【席】，籍也。《禮》：天子諸矦席有黼黻純飾。从巾、庶省。 〔小徐本作「庶省聲」。〕 【臣鉉等曰：席以待賓客之禮，賓客非一人，故从庶。】 【祥易切】 【𠩛】，古文席从石省。 〔小徐本無「席」。〕

              Criteria
            • FEAST

              1. The current general term for a feast is yàn 宴 / 燕.

              2. Jiǔ 酒 and yǐn 飲 both refer to a drinking party where alcohol is served.

              3. Xiǎng 餉 / 饗 / 饟 refers to an elaborate festive repast.

              NB: Yán 筵 and xí 席 are post-Han words for a feast.

            • BAMBOO MAT

              [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

              [COMMON/RARE]

              [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

              1. Yán 筵 refers to a larger mat put directly on the floor.

              [CURRENT], [SPECIFIC]

              2. Xí 席 "sitting mat" refers to the bamboo mat placed on the yán 筵.

              [CURRENT], [SPECIFIC]

              3. Zǐ 笫 refers to a bamboo bed-mat. According to FANGYAN, this is the southern dialect word for zé 簀.

              [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

              4. Diàn 簟 became common in Han times as a word referring to bamboo mats in general. The word appears already in SHIJING where it refers to a bamboo mat which can be used for various purposes, particularly to sleep upon.

              [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

              5. Zé 簀 is an archaic word for a bamboo mat. But the word occurs also in SHIJI. It can refer to a bed-mat made of bamboo.

              [ARCHAIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

              6. Shēng 笙 is according to FANGYAN a southern word for a bamboo mat.

              [DIALECT]; [[RARE]]

              7.Qú chú 籧篨 refers to a crude bamboo mat.

              [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

            • MAT

              1. The more common word xí 席 refers to a mat used for sitting on, typically in ceremonial contexts. Bì xí 避席 is to leave this kind of sitting mat in order to make a formal pronouncement. A xí 席 may also be placed on a bed.

              2. Yán 筵 is specifically the larger carpet-like mat put on the floor on which the xí 席 is placed in turn, but this distinction came to be blurred. The word is very regularly associated with the jī 几 "low table" which one suspects were placed on the yán 筵 alongside with the xí 席 "sitting mat".

              3. Rù 褥 refers to a mattress-like padded mat used for sleeping on.

            • SEAT

              1.. Wèi 位 focusses on the seat as an indicator of a person's status.

              2. Xí 席 refers specifically to the physical object, the mat, on which one sat in ancient China.

              3. Yán 筵 refers specifically to the mat placed immediately on the floor on which the xí 席 or "sitting mat" in turn was laid out.

              4. Zuò 坐 / 座 is used to refer to a seat as such, in a general way, but this usage is not very common.

              Word relations
            • Assoc: (MAT)薦/STRAW MAT
            • Assoc: (MAT)筵/MAT Yán 筵 is specifically the larger carpet-like mat put on the floor on which the xí 席 is placed in turn, but this distinction came to be blurred. The word is very regularly associated with the jī 几 "low table" which one suspects were placed on the yán 筵 alongside with the xí 席 "sitting mat".