Taxonomy of meanings for 德:　　

  • dé (OC: tɯɯɡ MC: tək) 多則切 入 廣韻：【德行又惠也𦫵也福也亦州名秦爲齊郡地漢爲平原郡武德初爲德州因安德縣以名之多則切九 】
  • VIRTUE
    • nab(.adN)N=hum列德而尚賢 "give rank to men of natural potency/Virtue and honour the worthy": person who is completely commited to his/her natural endowments; person who has realised his/her natural potential
    • nabactmoral potency; commitment to one's natural endowments; cultivation of moral excellence or potency
    • nabconcept(considerations of) natural moral qualities (good or bad) 惡德 "evil moral qualities"; concept of moral potency or excellence
    • nabmetaphysicalpotency; natural potential; (potential) power; the natural potential/power that something has by virtue of being in accordance with the Way
    • nabpsych唯有德者能之 "only a person possessed of superior virtue is capable of this": (obtained 得) moral excellence; fully developed moral and spiritual potential; superior Virtue
    • nab.adN德人 "a person who has realised his natural potential/Virtue": having realised one's natural potential/Virtue, being based on the realisation of one's natural potential/superior virtue
    • vibe characterised by charismatic natural potential, by Virtue, by an inherent moral authority
    • nab.post-V{NUM}concept五德“(the) five Virtues": x number of virtues
    • vt(oN)putativeconsider the contextually determinate N as an act of virtue
    • nab(post-N)inner charismatic power or potency of a contextually determinate (kind of) person; somebody's charismatic virtueDS
    • vtoNmake a show to N of being virtuousCH
    • nab.post-N王德 "realised charismatic natural potency/Virtue of a king": 1. realised natural potential  (of a ruler or a sage); 2. realised natural potential like that of an NLZ
    • nabfinite日漸之德 "daily growing natural potential/Virtue" also 至德 "perfect Virtue"!!!: (greater or lesser) (one's) finite moral and spiritual potency; natural potential of excellence and VirtueCH
    • nabfeature, idealsupreme natural potency; supreme moral potency; outstanding magical natural endowments; ideal natural potentialCH
    • nabconcept.ideal"(perfect) realisation of one's potentialities, Virtue"CH
    • nab{PRED}feature, idealbe (identical with) ideal natural Virtue; be natural excellenceCH
    • nab{PRED}be a matter of VirtueCH
    • nab.post-N1:adN2an N2 of the natural Virtue of an N1CH
    • nabsocial state of affairsstate/degree of prevailing moral virtue in societyCH
    • vi0Virtue prevails; natural potency is realisedCH
    • nab.post-V至德"perfect Virtue": a V-ing virtueCH
    • nab.adVby virtue of our moral potencyCH
    • nab[post-N]somebody's moral authority and integrityDS
    • nab.adV:+Npro{SUBJ}n=inalianable possessionby his virtueDS
    • nabpsych, degree民德“degree of moral virtue of the people 风俗道德" social: degree of virtueCH
    • metaphysical> COSMIC FORCE
      • nab.post-Nabmetaphysical道德"the cosmic Potency of the Way": magical cosmic force; natural potency; cosmic power
      • nabsupreme cosmic potency; supreme cosmic force; supreme cosmic powerCH
      • nab.post-V玄德“mysterious supreme cosmic force": the supreme cosmic force, which is of the V kindCH
      • viactact out cosmic forceCH
    • efficacy> TALENT
      • nabdispositionsuperior moral qualities, higher virtues (other than vulgar mundane strength)
      • nabfigurative(hidden) inherent natural potentialCH
      • nab.post-VV-ed or V-ing natural potentialCH
      • moral> GOOD
        • nabactgood deed; virtuous act
        • nadNvirtuous, full of dignified goodness
        • viactact virtuously; comport oneself well
        • good feature: MERIT
          • nabfeaturemeritorious feature, merit
          • social feature> DIGNITY
            • nab.adNconceptcharacterised by perfect dignity (of the rulers)CH
            • nab(post-N)N's moral dignity, moral standingCH
          • generalised, abstract> FEATURE
            • nabmetaphysicaltrait; characteristic feature; characteristic powers (of wine etc)
            • nab.post-NN=humanpersonal character, moral character; natural characteristic featureCH
            • nab[.post-N]N=humanone's natural physical endowment> physical featuresCH
            • nab.post-npronatural physical featuresCH
            • nab.post-NN=nonhumanthe natural features/potencies (excellence) or an NCH
            • nab.post-Vnatural feature/endowment of the V kindCH
        • general: moral conduct> ACT
          • nabactmoral conduct
          • nab.post-V玄德"mysterious natural cosmic force": supreme cosmic potency or force of the V kindCH
          • towards inferiors> GENEROUS
            • vtoNbe generous towards
            • vtoNpsychfeel well-disposed towards, have warm feelings towards; build up warm feelings fowards; build up good relations with
            • nabdispositionovert charismatic generosity, ability to display magnanimity; goodwill
            • nabstativegood relations, mutual charismatic good will; good will; favourable attitude
            • viactshow benign generosity and goodness in action
            • vt(oN)show generosity towards the contextually determinate N
            • vt+prep+Nbe generous towards
            • nabactacts of benign good-will and generosity
        • blessed by superior generosity> HAPPY
          • nabfeatureblessedness by supernatural generosity; blessing
          • towards superiors> GRATEFUL
            • vtoNstativefeel grateful towards
            • nabpsychgratitude
            • vtoNcausativemake someone feel grateful towardsCS
            • putative: consider as good/better> PARTIAL
              • vtoNbe partial to and thus over-generous towards
              • causative: cause to be partial to one> WIN TRUST
                • vt+prep+Nwin favour with, win the trust of
                • vtoNcausative(cause to feel well-disposed towards>) win favour with, put someone in one's debt
  • dé (OC: tɯɯɡ MC: tək) 多則切 入 廣韻：【德古文 】

    Additional information about 德

    說文解字: 【德】，升也。从彳、悳聲。 【多則切】

      Criteria
    • TALENT

      1. The standard word for an unusual promising ability to perform important future tasks of any kind is cái 才／材, and the talents referred to by this word do not need to be of a "higher" kind.

      2. Xián 賢 (ant. bù xiào 不肖 "untalented") often refers to realised talents, and typically includes the nuance of moral worthiness in addition to practical and intellectual talents, and prototypically these talents include moral ones and are excercised in the service of a ruler. (Note the combination 忠賢 "loyal and worthy")

      3. Dé 德 "political charisma; moral integrity" refers especially to the higher talents of the sage or the sage ruler and may perhaps be usefully compared in this synonym group. See VIRTUE.

    • GENEROUS

      1. Probably the most general word for generosity is huì 惠 (ant. sè 嗇 "stingy, ungenerous"), and this refers to any kind of emotional as well as material munificence by a person of superior status.

      2. Hòu 厚 (ant. báo 薄 "less than ample") refers to generosity of treatment which is not necessarily directed towards inferiors.

      3. Shī 施 focuses on the very activity involved in generous treatment of others, and the subject of this activitiy is normally a person of superior status.

      4. E!n 恩 (ant. chóu 仇 "hostile attitude") refers primarily to an attitude or disposition (typically on the part of a person of superior status) to be generous.

      5. Dé 德 and the rarer zé 澤 refer to graceful and spiritually inspiring munificence, typically from a person of supremely high status.

      6. Kuān 寬 and the rarer guǎng 廣 can refer to a general disposition towards non-narrow and broadly directed generosity.

      7. Zhān 霑 refers to receiving the benefits of generosity and is thus marginal in this group, and the word is rare.

      NB: Kāng kǎi 慷慨 refers to generousity with one's resources, but the usage is first attested in Ming novels.

    • GRATEFUL

      1. Surprisingly, there is only one general word for gratitude as a psychological attitude, and that is the relatively rare dé 德, a highly problematic word which much more often seems to mean "spiritual power" or "virtue" among many other things.

      NB: Gǎn 感 "be grateful" is post-Han (JIN, LU JI) and still relatively rare.

    • CRIME

      1. The current general word for a serious legal transgression is zuì 罪 (ant. gōng 功 "merit"), and the current general word for a minor legal transgression is guò 過 (ant. xiào 效 "positive contribution").

      2. Yóu 尤 refers generally to morally disreputable behaviour.

      3. Jiù 咎 (ant. láo 勞 "obtain merits") refers to an action for which one deserves blame.

      4. Dào 盜 (ant.* dé 德 "virtue") refers to morally and legally outrageous behaviour.

      5. Yuè 越 can come to refer to a failure to keep within the boundaries set by one's social status or office.

      6. Gū 辜 (ant. xún 勛 "significant contribution") is an archaising word referring to serious crimes at an early stage, but later commonly used (mostly in negated form) to refer to any crime.

      7. Tè 忒, qiān 愆, and shěng 眚 refer to a minor but culpable error.

      8. Qiān 愆 refers to a minor mistake in procedure.

    • DESTROY

      1. The current general word for destruction of any kind is huǐ 毀, and what is destroyed may anything from a toy or a house to a state.

      2. Miè 滅 refers to the physical destruction of cities or states, and the word implies the use of external military force, and typically military resistance.

      3. Pò 破 is always violent destruction of concrete objects of any kind.

      4. Cán 殘 focusses on the reckless attitude shown by the destroyer.

      5. Yāng 殃 focusses on the disaster constituted by destruction, and this word is used mostly nominally.

      6. Suì 碎 focusses on complete smashing into small pieces of what is destroyed.

      7. Huài 壞 and huī 墮 / 隳 are "to be destroyed, to collapse" but the words are also used transitively "cause to be destroyed, cause to collapse".

      8. Wáng 亡 (ant. fù 復 "reestablish") refers to the political/social ruin of a state and does not focus on any form of physical annihilation or damage.

      9. Bài 敗 and zéi 賊 are currently used for the destruction of abstract things such as dé 德 "virtue".

    • WIN TRUST

      1. The current general word for winning the trust and the confidence of a superior is dé 得 / 德.

      2. Qǔ 取 refers to gaining the allegiance of or gaining the trust of someone.

      3. Gān 干 and the rarer yāo 要 refers to seeking the allegiance of or advantages from, or good relations with superiors.

      4. Huái 懷 refers to seeking the allegiance of and cultivating good relations with inferiors or subjects.

    • FEATURE

      1. There is no common word for a characteristic, feature, or property of something, but dé 德 and xiàng 象 are words that are used to refer to determining aspects of things. See NATURE

      2. Jiān bái 堅白 is an abstract philosophical term which refers to incommensurate features coexisting in a given object.

    • 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.

    • DIGNITY

      1. The general word for awe-inspiring benign and generous autonomous personal dignity is dé 德.2. Wēi 威 is functional authoritative dignity based on political or military administrative power.3. Zūn 尊 is hierarchic dignity based on high formal social status.

      Word relations
    • Ant: (GENEROUS)刑/PUNISH Xíng 刑 refers specifically to physical punishment.
    • Ant: (GENEROUS)怨/HATE Yuàn 怨 is resentment due to identified concrete causes, and the emotion is typically directed towards superiors or equals.
    • Ant: (GOOD)惡/BAD The most general word for what is inferior and not commendable, morally, aesthetically or otherwise, is è 惡 (ant. měi 美 "commendable"), but this word is also used to refer more specifically to wickedness. See WICKED [GENERAL]
    • Ant: (VIRTUE)不肖/INCOMPETENT The most current and general word for incompetence is bù xiào 不肖 (ant. xián 賢 "distinguished talent").
    • Ant: (VIRTUE)姦/WICKED Jiān 姦 (ant. liáng 良 "of the good sort, decent") refers to sheer human depravity and moral incompetence with no supernatural or sinister overtones.
    • Ant: (VIRTUE)力/POWER
    • Ant: (VIRTUE)惡/WICKED The most current and general word for wickedness is probably è 惡 (ant. shàn 善 "good"), but it must be noted that in early texts the word is more current in the meaning of physical ugliness.
    • Ant: (TALENT)不肖/INCOMPETENT The most current and general word for incompetence is bù xiào 不肖 (ant. xián 賢 "distinguished talent").
    • Object: (GENEROUS)布/ISSUE
    • Epithet: (VIRTUE)孔/GREAT Kǒng 孔 is an archaic word referring to immensity, numerousness as well as remarkable intensity of something.
    • Epithet: (VIRTUE)玄/OBSCURE The current general word for mysteriousness is xuán 玄.
    • Contrast: (VIRTUE)操/ACT
    • Contrast: (VIRTUE)禮/RITUAL The current general term for everything relating to the system of ritual propriety is lǐ 禮. However the term can also be used to refer to individual prescribed rituals.
    • Contrast: (VIRTUE)節/VIRTUE 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".
    • Contrast: (VIRTUE)節/VIRTUE 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".
    • Contrast: (VIRTUE)道/WAY Dào 道, when used in its concrete meaning referring to a means of communication tends to refer to a larger line of communication, and the traditional claim is that the term refers to a road where two vehicles can pass each other. Thus the First Emperor called his Autobahns chí dào 馳道 and not chí lù 馳路.
    • Assoc: (GENEROUS)澤/GENEROUS Dé 德 and the rarer zé 澤 refer to graceful and spiritually inspiring munificence, typically from a person of supremely high status.
    • Assoc: (VIRTUE)/
    • Assoc: (VIRTUE)行/ACT The current general word for any deliberate action one may be held morally and/or administratively responsible for is xíng 行 (ant. zhǐ 止 "decide not to take action"). The nominal entries have the old reading xìng. [COMMENDATORY!], [GENERAL], [HABITUAL], [RESPONSIBLE]
    • Assoc: (VIRTUE)道/METHOD Dào 道 is a way of being, of functioning, as well as a way of doing things, and this Way may be either exoteric or esoteric.
    • Oppos: (GENEROUS)威/POWER The dominant general words for power are wēi 威 "formidable authority" and shì 勢 "strategic position of power".
    • Oppos: (VIRTUE)功/MERIT The current general word for achievements of any kind is gōng 功.
    • Oppos: (VIRTUE)色/SEXY The general noun is sè 色 "female beauty" which seems to be used only in nominal functions.
    • Oppos: (VIRTUE)星/STAR The common use word for a star is xīng 星 and this term does not incluce sun and moon.
    • Oppos: (VIRTUE)得/PROFIT Dé 得 (ant. shī 失 "lose") refers abstractly to what is achieved as a desired advantage.
    • Oppos: (PARTIAL)怨/HATE Yuàn 怨 is resentment due to identified concrete causes, and the emotion is typically directed towards superiors or equals.
    • Oppos: (VIRTUE)祿/SALARY The general word for apanages, emoluments or salaries received by any person of high status is lù 祿.
    • Oppos: (VIRTUE)服/GARMENT Fú 服 refers to robes or formal dress. See COURT DRESS. The word refers to the specialized dress worn for various opportunities; mainly then to the formal court and ritual dress. The term refers not only to the cloth itself, but also to the various adornments belonging to it: [HUANG 1995: 713 - 714, 716 - 717]