Taxonomy of meanings for 慄:　　

  • 慄 lì (OC: b-riɡ MC: lit) 力質切 入 廣韻：【戰慄懼也 】
    • FEAR
      • vi.redbe fearful
      • viZZ 6.205: shuddering, (anxious and fearful) (as someone who has climbed a high mountain and is looking down); ZZ 19.670: shuddering and fearful (as someone soaring high and looking down); ZZ 10.379: (worried and) shivering (as a ruler in his reception hall)
      • vtoNbe fearful and worried about
    • TREMBLE
      • viprocesstremble
    • SAD
      • RESPECT

        Additional information about 慄

        說文解字:

          Criteria
        • FEAR

          1. The most general word for any kind of passing fear is probably jù 懼 and this word naturally links with yōu 憂 "worry", and this word refers to a momentary historical moment where that fear manifested itself ( 文王乃懼 "then King Wén got scared"). Jù sǐ 懼死 is momentary fear for one's life, whereas wèi sǐ 畏死 refers to a general state where one is too frightened to sacrifice one's life.

          2. Kǒng 恐 refers primarily to intense or overwhelming possibly passing state of fear, and the word differs from jù 懼 mainly in degree of intensity and in the managability of the danger faced.

          3. Wèi 畏 is typically a stable state of reasoned fear, typically relating those who are in authority (the etymologically related wēi 威 on which relation there is much word-play in texts like ZUO), or ghosts etc, but the word also has extended generalised uses, as in wèi sǐ 畏死 "be afraid to die".

          4. Jīng 驚 refers to the sudden onset of fear when someone is faced with an unexpected danger.

          5. Lì 栗 / 慄 and zhàn 戰 is to shiver with intense fear, and the physical expression of fear can be more prominent the inner feeling expressed through shivering.

          6. Qiè 怯 "chicken-livered and unlikely to undertake risky tasks" and nuò 懦 (ant. yǒng 勇 "courage, boldness") as well as dàn 憚 "unduly prone to feelings of fear" refer to being pusilanimousness or the lack or courage where courage is required.

          7. Bù 怖 "be in a current acute state of fear" has no weakened generalised uses.

          8. Sǒng 悚 / 聳 "be fretful, given to fear; get slightly frightened" refers to mild forms of (possibly superfluous or reprehensible) fear.

          9. Jì 悸 refers to symptoms of violent heart-beat caused by intense fear.

          NB: Pà 怕 is post-Buddhist (TANG).