Taxonomy of meanings for 棲:
- 棲 qī (OC: siil MC: sei) 先稽切 平 廣韻：【鳥棲説文曰或从木西 】
- 棲 ｘｉ１《集韻》千西切，平齊清。脂部。
- RESTLESS
Additional information about 棲
說文解字: 【㢴〔小徐本「上」下有「也」。〕 象形。日在西方而鳥棲，故因以爲東西之西。 〔小徐本「棲」作「西」，「東西之西」下有「也」。〕 凡西之屬皆从西。 【先稽切】 【棲】，西或从木、妻。 〔小徐本作「俗棲從木、妻。」「 【棲】」在籒文之後。〕 【卥(𠧧)】，古文西。 【卤】，籒文西。
- Criteria
- NEST
1. The current standard word for a nest for birds or dwelling of an animal living on trees is cháo 巢, but the word does specifically refer to bird's nests in trees rather than on the ground.
NB: Qī 棲 is used to refer to what one perches on as a bird, i.e. a perch, but never to a nest as such.
- DWELL
1. The current general words for dwelling in a place for some considerable time are jū 居 and chǔ 處 (all ant. xíng 行 "travel").
2. Shè 舍 and sù 宿 refer to spending the night in a certain place.
3. Guǎn 館 refers to spending the night in a visitor's hostel (which is China's ancient answer to a hotel).
4. Qī 棲 refers to a temporary or non-voluntary stay of any length, typically of an informal kind. See ROOST
5. Xìn 信 is sometimes used as a technical term for staying in a place for two nights.
6. Cì 次 is sometimes used as a technical term for spending more than two days in a certain place.
7. Jì 寄 and yù 寓 refer to staying in some place for a strictly limited space of time.
8. Jùn 軍 refers specifically to an army encamping in a certain place for a limited time.
NB: Zhù 住 is post-Buddhist (SIX DYNASTIES)