Taxonomy of meanings for 樹:　　

Additional information about 樹

說文解字: 【樹】，生植之總名。 〔小徐本「生」上有「木」。〕 从木、尌聲。 【常句切】 【𡬾】，籒文。

Criteria
• CHINA
  

  睡虎地秦墓竹簡 1978: 226 臣邦人不安秦主而欲去夏者, 勿許. 何謂夏 ? 欲去親屬是謂夏.

  The words for China have this in common that they do NOT designate any one state. 中國 "the central states" is implicitly plural when it does not refer to the capital city. 諸夏 the various Xià (states)" is explicitly plural. The standard Imperium Romanum has no counterpart in Chinese until very late, unless one admits 天下 "all under Heaven" as a designation for the empire. But 天下 does not define any bounded empire. It remains to be seen exactly when a standard term for China was took shape. Compare the problems of finding a term for the Chinese language.

  Based on 顧頡剛 & 王樹民, “ 夏 ” 和 “ 中國 ”— 祖國古代的稱號, Zhongguo lishi dili luncong, Vol. 1 (Xi'an, 1981), 6-22).

  In the Shu and Shi sections relating to the early Zhou, 區夏 (= 夏區 ), 有夏 and 時夏 (= 是夏 ) refers to the place in which the Zhou established their capital after their conquest of Shang, in contradistinction to Zhou 掇 homeland in the West ( 西土 ) and the close Zhou allies ( 一二邦 ). The Zhou referred to their own domain as 烠 he central city-state � ( 中國 ). Since 中國 in this usage refers to the territory directly governed by the Zhou, it is singular and used in exchange with 京師 and in contradistinction with 四方 and 四國. Other states also referred to their capital regions as 啎什縕 (thus Wu in GY 19.09.01/618); a (perhaps late) variant of this word is 啎尹塹 (Yugong).

  After becoming strong, the states enfeoffed by Zhou asserted the community with the 周 by commencing to refer to themselves as 堔 L �, leading to the plural designation 埣悎 L �, used in contrast with designations like 啈 i 狄�. The distinction between the two groups was viewed as cultural, and its precise reference shifted over time, originally excluding states (like 楚 ) from the community of 諸夏 but later including them, or including them in the beginning, whilst later excluding them (like 秦 ). Some of the non- 諸夏 states were viewed as subservient to 諸夏 states, others as their enemies. The membership of 楚 to the 諸夏 circle was always insecure; it was, so to speak, was"always on probation.

  The 東夏 made up a subdivision of the 諸夏, including states such a 齊 and 魯.

  In parallel with the 堔 L � appellations arose the 埽寊 appellations, 埽寊 on its own and 埣捄寊, and, the two words may well be cognate, the common 埽堮 L �.

  In the Warring States period the cultural distinction gave way to a geographical distinction, and the 中國 states were now the state occupying the Central Plain

• TO PLANT
  

  樹

• SOW
  

  1. The current word for sowing is zhòng 種 (ant. shōu 收 "harvest").

  2. Bō 播 focusses on the spreading of seeds over a field.

  3. Jià 稼 (ant. sè 穡 "harvest") refers specifically to the sowing of grain.

  4. Shù 樹 is marginal in this group because the word refers generally to planting seedlings rather than sowing.

  5. Yì 藝 can occasionally be used to refer specifically to the planting of rice seedlings and the like.

  6. Zhí 殖 (ant. huò 獲 "harvest") includes the planting as well as the ensuing cultivation of domesticated plants.

  7. Zāi 栽 refers to placing of seedlings of any kind or provenance in the earth as part of agricultural cultivation, and the word first became current in Eastern Han times.

  8. Shí 蒔 refers to the replanting of seedlings from one cultivated patch to another.

• TREE
  

  1. The current word for a tree is mù 木. In Shang times times this word was a count noun for trees, later it also referred to felled trees and in particular to timber as a material. Thus in Warring States times the special feature of this word is that it is a mass noun as well as a count noun.

  2. Shù 樹 "tree" derives etymologically from the verb shù 樹 "to plant", and then came to mean, by extension "what is planted". The word always functions as a count noun.

• ESTABLISH
  

  1. The current general word for setting up anything abstract or concrete is lì 立 and the almost equally common shè 設.

  2. Jiàn 建 refers to bringing something into existence through a comprehensive concerted effort.

  3. Jù 具 refers to establishing or setting up what is necessary in a certain context.

  4. Zhì 制 refers to set up institutionally a system.

  5. Cuò 錯 / 措 and zhì 置 (ant. feì 廢 "remove from its proper place") refer to putting something solidly and firmly in its proper place.

  6. Shù 樹 refers to planting or establishing something firmly where one intends it to remain.

Word relations
• Object: (ESTABLISH)人/HUMAN The dominant term is rén 人 which refers to any human. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (TREE)木/TREE The current word for a tree is mù 木. In Shang times times this word was a count noun for trees, later it also referred to felled trees and in particular to timber as a material. Thus in Warring States times the special feature of this word is that it is a mass noun as well as a count noun. 2 Attributions