Taxonomy of meanings for 廉:　　

Additional information about 廉

說文解字: 【廉】，(庂)[仄]也。 〔小徐本「庂」作「仄」。〕 从广、兼聲。 【力兼切】

Criteria
• GREEDY
  

  1. The current abstract term for an exaggerated desire for the possession of things of all kinds is tān 貪 (ant. lián 廉 "morally pure and ungreedy").

  2. Lán 婪 and the late and rare chán 饞 refer specifically to the exaggerated desire for food and drink.

  3. Tāo 饕 (often used with tié 餮 as the proper name of a mask figure) are highly archaic and elevated words to use for greediness for food and drink.

• GOOD
  

  1. The general term for positive appraisal of human capacities of any kind is shàn 善 (ant. è 惡 "bad").

  2. Rén 仁 (ant. cán 殘 "unfeeling") refers to kind-heartedness as an attitude directed towards moral behaviour. See BENEVOLENCE

  3. Lián 廉 (ant. tān 貪 "greedy for bribery gifts") refers to moral probity and impeccability.

  4. Zhí 直 (ant. qǔ 曲 "devious") refers to moral straightforwardness and uprightness.

  5. Zhōng 衷 (ant. xié 邪 "wicked") refers to devoted uprightness of character. See also EARNEST

  6. Qīng 清 (ant. zhuó 濁 "defiled and corrupt") can be used to refer to moral purity.

  7. Shú 淑 is a highly poetic word referring to admirable moral qualities in general, typically in women.

  8. Jūn zǐ 君子 (ant. xiǎo rén 小人 "petty man") refers to high moral qualities and capacities, especially in men.

  <div>9. Zāng 臧 (pí 否 "good-for-nothing") is an archaic neutral unemotional objective term for goodness.</div><div><br></div><div>10. Rén yì 仁義, when it is not simply listing benevolence and righteousness, commonly refers quite generally (by synecdoche) to moral goodness or the moral virtues LIKE benevolence and righteousness and not in fact to just two of the virtues.<br></div><br>

• VIRTUE
  

  1. The current general term for salient features and principles of charismatic moral potency, integrity and generosity is dé 德, when used as a term of ethical evalutation.

  2. Other general terms for subjectively construed general moral commendation include měi 美 "point of moral distinction" (ant. è 惡 "point of moral decrepitude"), and occasionally gāo 高 "elevated points, elevated spirit" (ant. jiàn 賤 "point of vulgar decrepitude"). NB that shàn 善 "excellent" is not used as a general term of positive moral appreciation in pre-Buddhist texts.

  3. The most current dé 德 "virtues" recognised in pre-Buddhist China are rén 仁 "kind-heartedness", yì 義 "rectitude", lǐ 禮 "propriety", zhì 智 "wisdom", and xìn 信 "good faith".

  4. Further important virtues are xiào 孝 "filial piety", zhōng 忠 "loyal diligence", tì 悌 / 弟 "brotherly affection", lián 廉 "impeccable probity", jié 節 "moderation", and perhaps yǒng 勇 "the courage of one's moral convictions". ( 說苑 : 百行 (xìng) 孝為先 )

  5. Zhōng yōng 中庸 "the mean in action" may be mentioned as a a central Confucian virtue, jiān ài 兼愛 "unIversal love" as a Mohist virtue, wú wéi 無為 "unobtrusive action" as a non-moralistic Taoist virtue.

Word relations
• Object: (GOOD)修 / 脩/CULTIVATE The current general term for cultivating something or refining it is xiū 修 (from Han times onwards sometimes also miswritten as xiū 脩, ant.* màn 慢 "neglect the cultivation of").
• Epithet: (GOOD)士/GENTLEMAN The current general term for a person of a certain social standing is shì 士 and this word often connotes specifically a certain level of education, particularly literacy. See INTELLECTUAL. 1 Attribution
• Assoc: (GOOD)恥/GOOD3 Attributions
• Assoc: (GOOD)清/GOOD Qīng 清 (ant. zhuó 濁 "defiled and corrupt") can be used to refer to moral purity. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (GOOD)清/GOOD Qīng 清 (ant. zhuó 濁 "defiled and corrupt") can be used to refer to moral purity. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (GOOD)潔/GOOD
• Assoc: (GOOD)貞/FAITHFUL Zhēn 貞 refers to sturdy moral reliability based on inner conviction. 1 Attribution