Taxonomy of meanings for 扶:　　

Additional information about 扶

說文解字: 【扶】，左也。 〔小徐本「左」作「佐」。〕 从手、夫聲。 【防無切】 【𢻳()】、古文扶。 〔小徐本下有「從攴」二字。〕

Criteria
• FLOURISH
  

  1. The current general word for flourishing or thriving of any kind, abstract or concrete is shèng 盛 (ant. shuāi 衰 "decline").

  2. Chāng 昌 and xīng 興 (all ant. wáng 亡 "be ruined"), and lóng 隆 (ant. tì 替 "decline") refer primarily to the flourishing of political institutions and the like.

  3. Xí 息, zhí 殖, and fān 蕃 refer specifically to the flourishing of flora and fauna.

  4. The literal word for luxuriant growth of plants is mào 茂 (ant. diāo 凋 "dried up").

  5. Róng 榮 (ant. kū 枯 "dried up") refers especially to splendid luxuriance of growth as an admirable sight.

  6. Fēng 豐 (ant.* wěi 萎 "dried up and thin on the ground") refers to rich thick growth, often as an asset.

  7. Fān 蕃 and yù 鬱 (mostly reduplicated yù yù 鬱鬱 ) refer to ample thick growth.

  8. Fú shū 扶疏 is a poetic word referring to luxurious growth of plants.

  NB: There is a remarkable abundance of terminology in this semantic field, and in many cases the distinctions are less than clear.

• LEAN ON
  

  1. The current abstract word for leaning on anything for any purpose is yī 依.

  2. Fú 扶 typically refers to leaning on something so as to remain upright or walk safely.

  3. Zhàng 仗 refers to leaning sideways on small objects like swords or canes as a demonstrative act.

  4. Píng 憑 refers to leaning on something for general stablility.

  5. Jù 據 refers to leaning forward to use something as support.

  6. Shì 恃 is sometimes used in a rather abstract and colourless way to refer to using something as physical support.

  7. Yǐ 倚 is occasionally used interchangeably with yī 依 (with which it is interdefined in SHUOWEN, but the word typically refers to leaning against something rather than vertically on it.

• WIND
  

  1. The dominant word for wind is fēng 風.

  2. Piāo 飄 and the rare biāo 飆 refer to whirlwind, and the word is also written with two characters as 扶搖.

  3. Mái 霾 refers to a violent storm blowing as a sandstorm, or as a rainstorm.

• PEOPLE
  

  1. The dominant current general word for the people is mín 民 (ant. jūn 君 "ruler"), and this term refers inclusively to all the people particularly insofar as they are ruled by a ruler or belong to a state (xiǎo mín 小民 are the ordinary people). [ 夫民之為言也暝也，萌之為言也（肓）〔盲〕也，故惟上之所扶而以之，民無不化也。故曰：「民萌。」民萌哉！ ( 直言其意而為之名也 ) Xinshu 9

  2. Bǎi xìng 百姓 (ant. jūn zhǔ 君主 "ruler") typically refers to the registered senior families in a state who are under the control of the ruler and contribute taxes as well as military service to him; but from earliest times this term was occasionally used to refer generally to the populace at large.

  3. Rén 人 (ant. wáng 王 "king") is sometimes used generically for those people who were taken to have a political voice, as in Yīn rén 殷人 "the people of Yīn".

  4. Méng 氓 / 萌 (ant.* shì mín 士民 "citizens") refers specifically to the common people belonging to the lower echelons of society.

  5. Zhòng 眾, shù 庶 and the rarer and more rarified words 蒸 and lí 黎 refer to the masses of the people under the aspect of their numerousness.

  6. Qián shǒu 黔首 "black-headed people" is the current word for the people especially promoted by the Qin dynasty.

  7. Shì mín 士民 refers to senior registered citizens with a certain political influence; but the term can also be used collectively to refer to the freemen/gentleman shì 士 on the one hand, and the common people mín 民 on the other.

  8. Guó rén 國人 refers not to the people in a state, but specifically to the senior citizens in the capital.

  9. Mín rén 民人 is a very current way of referring to the people without suggesting any low or high status.

  10. Shù rén 庶人 is the technical term for the non-office-holding commoners in a country.

• HELP
  

  1. The most general current word for helping someone else to perform a task is probably zhù 助 (ant. zǔ 阻 "hinder") which can refer to support given to men or other creatures.

  2. Yuán 援 typically refers to spontaneous unsolicited and enthusiastic help.

  3. Zuǒ 佐, yòu 佑 (deriving their meaning from the position of aides near the ruler), and also fǔ 輔 refer to official assistance in a formal context.

  4. Fú 扶 is specifially help to those much in need of support.

  5. Yì 益 (ant. sǔn 損 "act to hinder someone's progress") refers to support for someone who is already fairly well equipped for the task he or she gets support for.

  6. Jiǎ 假 refers to - not necessarily overt - discreet support.

  7. Zī 資 refers primarily to providing material support, but the word came to have common wider, generalised applications.

  8. Jì 濟 refers to acute help for a current difficult task.

  9. Yòu 祐 is a very ancient word referring specifically to assistance afforded by supernatural forces.