Taxonomy of meanings for 情:　　

  • qíng (OC: dzeŋ MC: dziɛŋ) 疾盈切 平 廣韻：【静也説文曰人之隂气有所欲也疾盈切五 】
    • REALITY
      • nab.adVtruly
      • nabstativereal facts of a matter, real state of affairs; real facts of a case
      • nadNreal, underlying, true
      • systematic> PRINCIPLE
        • nabmetaphysical常情"the lasting underlying real principle": essential reality; underlying real and stable principles 
      • abstract> TRUE
        • nabmetaphysicalthe truth about something; the essence of a matter; the real situation
        • concrete> SITUATION
          • nabmathematical termCHEMLA 2003:
          • nabmetaphysicalbasic situation, underlying current state of affairs
          • feature> BASIC NATURE
            • nab.post-V{NUM}metaphysicalessential tendency, natural basic inclination 人有六情
            • nabmetaphysicaldynamic essence, essential nature; basic instincts; essential propensities
            • nadNessentialCH
      • mental> MIND
        • nab.adVas a result of a basic attitude of mind
        • nadNmental activity which involves attachment to mere things[CA]
        • private thoughts> THINK
          • nabpsychreal thinking, real motivationCH
        • emotional> FEELING
          • nab.adVemotionally, in one's feelings, with one's heart
          • nab.post-Nthe feeling defined as N
          • nab.post-V{NUM}feelings 六情
          • nabpsychreal inner emotional state; innermost feelings; real inner feelings; basic feelings; basic loyalties; basic sentiments
          • nabcurrentcurrent emotional state, current feelings
          • nabpsychemotional nuances and moodsCH
          • nabemotional engagementCH
          • what has feelings> CREATURE
            • nsubject=pluralBUDDH: those who have mental activity, those endowed the feelings > sentient beings
          • appetitive> DESIRE
            • nabpsychbasic instincts; essential desires
            • caring> LOVE
              • nabpsychfeelings of love
              • nadNlovingDS
              • sexual> LUST
                • nabpsych
            • dominant personal> ASPIRATION
              • nabpsychologicalaspiration 不移情 "refuse to change one's aspirations"
              • uncontrollable future> HOPE
                • nabpsychhope or aspiration
          • social> FAITHFUL
            • nabpsychrarely, specifically: feelings of loyalty
            • political> FRANK
              • vibe frank about one's emotions
            • object> FRIEND
              • nabpsychfeelings of friendship, friendly relations
          • potential for> SENSIBILITY
            • nadNendowed with sensibility
            • nabpsychmoodCH
            • action> TENDENCY
              • nabpsychologicaltendency, proclivity, predilection

    Additional information about 情

    說文解字: 【情】，人之陰气有欲者。从心、青聲。 【疾盈切】

      Criteria
    • REALITY

      1. The current word referring to reality is shí 實 (ant. xū 虛 "pretended reality"), but the word acquired this meaning rather late (meaning "object" in earlier texts).

      2. Qíng 情 (ant. wěi 偽 "fake") and chéng 誠 (ant. zhà 詐 "fraudulent") are often used interchangeably to refer to the real facts versus what is pretended or what is merely superficial.

      3. Zhēn 真 (ant. jiǎ 假 "faked") refers to the genuine inner state of something, the ultimate truth about it.

    • FEELING

      1. The current general word for emotional states and feelings as well as attitudes is xīn 心.

      2. Qíng 情 refers specifically to one's real inner state, and one's basic essential feelings, one's essential emotional repertoire, also: one's instincts as opposed to one's aspirations mediated by reflection. [NB: We have no "love is a 情 " in classical Chinese, and neither do we have anything like "love is a 心 ".]

      3. Huái 懷 refers to a current emotional state or intensely felt attitude of any kind.

      4. Duān 端 is a philosophical term referring to a specific basic moral and emotional sensibility or instinct.

      See also FEEL

    • BASIC NATURE

      1. The current and quite dominant word for the stable inherent and prototypically innate features of something is xìng 性 (ant. wéi 為 "what belongs to human action", and wěi 偽 "artificial").

      2. Qíng 情 (ant. wěi 偽 "artificical acquired character") refers to the basic nature of a thing as forming a pattern of reaction to other things.

      3. Xīn 心 refers specifically to psychological aspects of animate nature.

      4. Tiān 天 refers specifically to the non-man-made aspect of the nature of things.

      5. Zī 資 refers to human nature as an endowment and an asset given to man by nature.

      6. Wéi rén 為人 and wéi wù 為物 the possibly conditioned and hardly alterable basic constitutive nature of thing.

      7. Rén qíng 人情 refers to the natural sensibilities of humans.

    • FRANK

      1. The current standard word for directness of expression and frankness of attitude is zhí 直 (ant. nìng 佞 "be wily in one's use of language; glib-tongued" and qǔ 曲 "devious").

      2. Zhèng 正 (ant. 譎 "deceitful") refers to a directness and straightforwardness in the expression of what what one thinks is right.

      3. Qíng 情 refers to a disposition to speak honestly of what is at the bottom of one's heart.

      4. Jiǎn 謇 is a fairly rare poetic word referring to fearlessly and frankly uttering one's opinion.

      NB: Tǎn 坦 "frank" is post-Buddhist (NANBEICHAO)

    • SENSIBILITY

      有情 see FEELING

      Word relations
    • Inconsist: (BASIC NATURE)欲/PASSION
    • Ant: (FEELING)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]
    • Ant: (FEELING)貌/APPEARANCE Mào 貌 (ant. xīn 心 "real inner feelings") emphasises the merely external as less than indicative of what is inside, and this is the most general word. [GENERAL], [STATIC], [SUPERFICIAL]
    • Ant: (TRUE)偽/FAKE Wěi 偽 (ant. zhēn 真) focusses on the artificiality rather than natural or proper provenance of the product.
    • Epithet: (FEELING)陰/CONCEAL
    • Contrast: (FEELING)意/THINK
    • Assoc: (REALITY)事/REALITY
    • Assoc: (FEELING)質/FEELING
    • Assoc: (REALITY)性/BASIC NATURE The current and quite dominant word for the stable inherent and prototypically innate features of something is xìng 性 (ant. wéi 為 "what belongs to human action", and wěi 偽"artificial").
    • Assoc: (BASIC NATURE)真/GENUINE The general dominant word for something being not artificial or fake is zhēn 真(ant. wěi 偽 "fake"), but I find is important that the word never seems to apply to negative concepts as in English "genuine hatred".