Taxonomy of meanings for 悉:　　

  • 悉 xī (OC: sid MC: sit) 息七切 入 廣韻：【説文云詳盡也息七切九 】
    • ALL
      • vadVobjectall objects; all objects completely
      • vadVquantifierall
      • vadN{PRED}all equallyCH
    • DETAILED
      • vadVin every detail, down to the least detail
    • EMPLOY
      • vtoNconscribe all; use all, deploy all; use up all the resources of
    • EXHAUST
      • vtoNuse up, exhaust
    • INVESTIGATE
      • vtoNtry to understand in detail
    • MOBILISE
      • vtoNmobilise the entirety of, mobilise completely
    • UNDERSTAND
      • vtoNunderstand completely

    Additional information about 悉

    說文解字: 【悉】，詳盡也。从心、从釆。 【息七切】 【(𢝕)】、古文悉。 〔小徐本古文作「【𢝕】」】，。〕

      Criteria
    • INVESTIGATE

      1. The most general words for investigating something are chá 察 "sort out clearly" and shen 審 "investigate carefully".

      2. Kǎo 考 and jī 稽 refer to an objective investigation into something on the basis of the best available evidence.

      3. Xǐng 省 typically refers to investigation by introspection.

      4. Jiū 究 and qióng 窮 emphasise the thoroughness and exhaustiveness of an investigation.

      5. Xiáng 詳, xī 悉, and dì 諦 focus on the detailed nature of an investigation without insisting on its exhaustiveness.

      6. Yuán 原 refers to a principled investigation into all aspects of a topic, getting to the bottom of a matter.

      NB: pàn 判涄 ome to a result in an investigation � does not refer to the investigation itself but only the final act of judgment on the result; d“ng 定洖 etermine (the truth of a matter) is a resultative verb. Duàn 斷烒 each a conclusion on an investigation � is close to pàn 判.

    • EXHAUST

      1. The current general word for using up anything material or immaterial is jìn 盡.

      2. Jié 竭 (ant. yíng 盈 "leave plenty of something") typically refers to the using up of what one has in one, or what one owns.

      3. Xī 悉 refers to using up all that is under one's control or command.

      4. Qióng 窮 and dān 殫 focusses on the result of exhausting resources as being the absence of these resources.

      NB: Fá 乏 (ant. zú 足 "leave a sufficient supply of") refers to the state of something being almost completely used up, and the word is thus marginal in the group.

    • UNDERSTAND

      1. The standard current and word for understanding something and knowing how to do something is zhī 知 (ant. mèi 昧 "not have the foggiest idea").

      2. Míng 明 (ant. měng 蒙 "have very confused notions about") refers to incisive clarity of insight.

      3. Tōng 通 (ant. hūn 昏 "be confused about") refers to comprehensive and thorough familiarity with a subject.

      4. Yù 喻 / 諭 (ant. àn 闇 "be in the dark about") typically refers to clarity achieved on the basis of an effort of articulation.

      5. Chá 察 and shěn 審 (ant. mí 迷 "be all lost when it comes to") refer to incisive clarity of understanding coupled with great awareness of the details of a matter.

      6. Jīng 精 (mào 眊 / 耄 "be completely stupid with respect to") refers to a subtle and thorough understanding of something.

      7. Shí 識 refers to familiarity with something concrete, but the word also refers to simple awareness, especially when negated.

      8. Biàn 辨 / 辯 (ant. huò 惑 "be al confused about") refers to discriminating and highly articulate specialised, often professional knowledge about something.

      9. Jué 覺 and the rarer wù 悟 are inchoative and refer to the coming to understand something.

      10. Wēn 溫 refers to the resulting close familiarity after long acquaintance with a subject.

      11. Wén 聞 (ant. wèi zhī wén 未之聞 "have never heard/learnt about any such thing") is sometimes used as a resultative verb meaning "come to understand something because one has been informed of it". But this usage is limited to the idiom wén dào 聞道 "hear about the Way".

      12. Xī 悉 and jìn 盡 refer to presumed completeness in knowledge.

    • ALL

      [ADNOMINAL/ADVERBIAL]

      [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

      [COLLECTIVE/INDIVIDUAL]

      [[COMMON/RARE]]

      [OBJECT-BINDING/SUBJECT-BINDING]

      1. Jiē 皆 the most common and general colourless subject qunatifier which is also used, occasionally as an object quantifier.

      SUBJECT-BINDING!; [padV]

      2.Jìn 盡 is a universal object quantifier which indicates that the action the transitive verb it precedes applies to the whole lot of the objects of that verb indiscriminately.

      [OBJECT-BINDING!], [COLLECTIVE]; [vadVt]

      3. Gè 各 quantifies by emphasising the separate features of each item quantified over.

      [INDIVIDUAL], [SUBJECT-BINDING]; [n+Vt]

      4. Jiān 兼 is an object quantifier which says that the transitive verb it precedes applies to each of the objects in its own right.

      [OBJECT-BINDING], [INDIVIDUAL]; [vadVt]

      5. Qún 群 is a quantifier which indicates that the whole of the flock or group of items designated by the noun it precedes are referred to

      [COLLECTIVE]; [nadN]

      6. Zhū 諸 is an adjectival quantifier which indicates that the whole group of the things indicated by the noun it precedes is referred to.

      [COLLECTIVE]; [padN]

      7. Zhòng 眾 is an adnominal quantififier which says that the whole of the group of things designated by the noun it precedes are intended.

      [COLLECTIVE]; [nadN]

      8. Fán 凡 characterises a topic adnominally as forming the general subject or topic in a non-narrative statement of principle. The current gloss "in general" is misleading because it wrongly suggests that there are exceptions, and because it does not specify the non-narrative "theoretical" nature of the statements introduced by the word. "In principle" is much to be preferred.

      [SPECIFIC]; [vadN[TOPIC]]

      9. Jù 俱 / 具 is a collective subject quantifier which says that all the subjects are equally and together characterised by what is in the predicate.

      [SUBJECT-BINDING]; [vadV]

      10. Fàn 氾 quantifies generally over all objects of the verb it precedes.

      [COLLECTIVE], [OBJECT-BINDING]; [vadVt]

      11. Fàn 汎 says that a verb has a whole range of objects, indiscriminately, and without reference to their specific character.

      [COLLECTIVE], [OBJECT-BINDING]; [padVt]

      12. Měi 每 mostly adnominal and emphasises that a each and every new item quantified over is separately intended.

      [INDIVIDUAL]; [padN]

      13. Jūn 均 / 鈞 expresses universal quantification over all subjects equally, without any difference.

      [INDIVIDUAL], [SUBJECT-BINDING]; [vadN]

      14. Zhōu 周 is a rare object quantifier claiming that all the objects of a verb are intended, without exception.

      [COLLECTIVE], [OBJECT-BINDING]; [vadVt]

      15. Xī 悉 mass object qunatifier which says that the transitive verb it precedes applies to the whole of the objects indiscriminately.

      [COLLECTIVE], [OBJECT-BINDING]; [vadVt]

      16. Xián 咸 is an archaic subject quantifier which came to new life in Han times.

      [INDIVIDUAL], [SUBJECT-BINDING!]; [vadV]

      17. Bì 畢 a subject quantifier which says that the predicate applies to all subjects.

      [ADVERBIAL]; [SUBJECT-BINDING]; [RARE]

      18. Jǔ 舉 is an adjectival quantifier of limited idiomatic use indicating that all the things in a certain area are referred to.

      [ADNOMINAL]; [COLLECTIVE]

      19. Wú bù 無不 is a neutral subject and object quantifier.

      20. Mò bù 莫不 is a neutral subject quantifier.

      [PREVERBAL]; [SUBJECT-BINDING]

      21. Sì hǎi 四海 sometimes refers generally to all inhabitants of the inhabited world, like tiān xià 天下, and these are marginal in this group.

      [NOMINAL]; [COLLECTIVE]

    • DETAILED

      1. The current general word for detail is xiáng 詳 (ant. lŸè 略 "without proper detail" and yào 要 "only in main outline").

      2. Xì 細 (ant. hūn 涽 "in a muddled generalising way") refers to petty detail.

      3. Xī 悉 refers to completeness of detail.

      Word relations
    • Contrast: (ALL)舉/ALL Jǔ 舉 is an adjectival quantifier of limited idiomatic use indicating that all the things in a certain area are referred to. >>ADNOMINAL; COLLECTIVE
    • Synon: (MOBILISE)舉/MOBILISE Jǔ 舉 always refers to an administrative official act of raising an army of some size and/or deploying this force.