Taxonomy of meanings for 淫:　　

Additional information about 淫

說文解字: 【淫】，侵淫隨理也。 〔小徐本「侵」作「𣹰」。〕 从水、㸒聲。一曰：久雨爲淫。 【余箴切】

Criteria
• EXCESSIVE
  

  1. The standard word for excessive intensity of anything is tài 太／泰.

  2. Yǐ3 已 is an archaic adverb meaning "excessively".

  3. Shèn 甚 can come to refer to excessive intensity or degree of anything, and the very is syntactically quite versatile.

  4. Yín 淫 stresses the aspect of indulgence often inherent in excessiveness.

  5. Guò 過 often, but not always, focusses on the aspect of transgression in excessiveness.

• DECENT
  

  1. The current word in general use is jié 節 (ant. yín 淫 "unrestrained") which refers primarily to decency in behaviour.

  2. Liáng 良 (ant.* bào 暴 "recklessness") is decency of attitude as well as decency in action.

  3. Jiǎn 儉 (ant. chǐ 侈 "excessiveness") is the important virtue of decent restraint in Confucian moral spirituality and it is something cultivated by a moral effort.

  4. Shú 淑 refers in a poetic way to the proper unassuming modesty of a person, especially of attractive women in ancient Chinese society.

  5. Ràng 讓 (ant. màn 慢 "be impolite to") is marginal in this group and refers to polite deference in interaction with others. See YIELD

• WEATHER
  

  There is no commonly used general concept for the weather in pre-Buddhist Chinese. The closest we come is perhaps qì 氣 as in ZUO 天有六氣, but consider the whole passage:

  天有六氣， (In the same way) there are six heavenly influences,

  降生五味， which descend and produce the five tastes,

  發為五色， go forth in the five colours,

  徵為五聲。 and are verified in the five notes;

  淫生六疾。 but when they are in excess, they produce the six diseases.

  六氣曰陰、陽、風、雨、晦、明也， Those six influences are denominated the yin, the yang, wind, rain, obscurity, and brightness.

  分為四時， In their separation, they form the four seasons;

  序為五節， in their order, they form the five (elementary) terms.

  過則為菑： When any of them is in excess, there ensues calamity.

  陰淫寒疾， An excess of the yin leads to diseases of the cold;

  陽淫熱疾， of the yang, to diseases of heat;

  風淫末疾， of wind, to diseases of the extremities;

  雨淫腹疾， of rain, to diseases of the belly;

  晦淫惑疾， of obscurity, to diseases of delusion;

  明淫心疾。 of brightness to diseases of the mind.

• EXTRAVAGANT
  

  1. Sh1ē 奢 (ant. jiǎn 儉 "parsimonious") is excessive conspicuous consumption or use of money for one's private purposes, with or without demonstrative large scale extravagance, and the word is not necessarily pejorative.

  2. Chǐ 侈 (ant. jié 節 "moderate in the use of resources") always refers to manifestly reprehensible extravagance with no connotation of laudable generosity.

  3. Mǐ 靡 (ant. jiǎn 簡 "unextravagant") is pointless and wasteful luxuriousness, and the term is always strongly pejorative.

  4. Huá 華 is purely demonstrative conspicuous and aesthetically elaborate consumption.

  5. Tài 泰 (ant. yuē 約 "restrained in the use of resources") is grandiose and demonstrative extravagance.

  6. Yín 淫 can come to refer to extravagance as a symptom of general indulgence.

• UNRESTRAINED
  

  1. The current general word for lack of restraint and indulgence is zī 恣 (ant. jié 節 "exercise moderation").

  2. Zòng 縱 (ant. yuē 約 "be limited by constraints") refers pejoratively to lack of restraint.

  3. Sì 肆 and dàng 蕩 (ant. jū 拘 "be properly restrained") refer often positively to lack of inhibitions and a freedom of behaviour.

  4. Fàng 放 (ant. liǎn 斂 "be restrained") refers to a deliberate act of removing social or other inhibitions.

  5. Yín 淫 can come to refer to extravagance as a symptom of general indulgence.

• COPULATE
  

  1. The current general word for copulation applying to both humans and animals, are jiāo 交, hé 合, and these are all rather discrete abstract terms to use.

  2. Yù 御 refers to a male "riding" a female, and the word has no negative overtones.

  3. Tōng 通 and sī 私 are neutral historian's terms for improper sexual intercourse.

  4. Xì 戲 refers to a man making a sexual pass at a woman (occasionally actually one's own wife!).

  5. Yín 淫 and huì 穢 are derogatory terms for engaging in lewd sexual activities with someone.

  6. Xìng 幸 refers periphrastically and politely in historical texts to enjoying the sexual favours, typically of an emperor. See also FAVOUR

  7. Zhēng 烝 refers to the ritual establishment of political relations with a widowed woman of one's senior generation through publicised spending of a night with her.

  8. Bào 報 refers to establishing extramarital sexual relations with a woman of a (normally) lower but sometimes also of a higher generation, but not normally of the same generation.

  9. Gǔ 蠱 refers to a male using irregular means to obtain the sexual favours of a woman he is not married to.

  NB: gòu 構／媾 was late to become current as a term for sexual union.

• LEWD
  

  1. The current general word for lewdness and lasciviousness in attitude and in action is yín 淫 (ant. jié 節 "decently restrained").

  2. Yù 慾 refers to a lustful attitude.

  3. Dàng 蕩 (ant. zhēn 貞 refers primarily to lewdness in action).

Word relations
• Ant: (UNRESTRAINED)善/GOOD The general term for positive appraisal of any kind in Chinese is shàn 善 (ant. è 惡 "bad"). 1 Attribution
• Ant: (UNRESTRAINED)正/CORRECT The standard word for conformity with an established standard of behavioural or physical allignment zhèng 正(ant. xié 邪). 1 Attribution
• Ant: (UNRESTRAINED)義/RECTITUDE The most general word is yì 義 "rectitude" which is often used to refer to what is proper and what is one's proper duty in general and also duties in particular. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (UNRESTRAINED)辭/PROSE1 Attribution
• Contrast: (EXCESSIVE)侈/EXTRAVAGANT Chǐ 侈 (ant. jié 節 "moderate in the use of resources") always refers to manifestly reprehensible extravagance with no connotation of laudable generosity.
• Contrast: (UNRESTRAINED)侈/EXTRAVAGANT Chǐ 侈 (ant. jié 節 "moderate in the use of resources") always refers to manifestly reprehensible extravagance with no connotation of laudable generosity. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (UNRESTRAINED)擇/BAD2 Attributions
• Assoc: (UNRESTRAINED)浮/FRIVOLOUS Fú 浮 sometimes refers to the kind of flippancy or frivolousness that might call for criticism but is not viewed as entirely serious.
• Assoc: (LEWD)亂/REVOLT Luàn 亂 (ant. zhì 治 "regularly political government") refers to a major political upheaval designed to topple the reigning government. 1 Attribution
• Assoc: (LEWD)放/UNRESTRAINED Fàng 放 (ant. liǎn 斂 "be restrained") refers to a deliberate act of removing social or other inhibitions. 1 Attribution
• Assoc: (UNRESTRAINED)殆/DANGER Dài 殆 is primarily perceived danger. 1 Attribution
• Assoc: (UNRESTRAINED)奢/EXTRAVAGANT Shē 奢 (ant. jiǎn 儉 "parsimonious") is excessive conspicuous consumption or use of money for one's private purposes, with or without demonstrative large scale extravagance, and the word is not necessarily pejorative. 3 Attributions
• Assoc: (LEWD)華/EXTRAVAGANT Huá 華 is purely demonstrative conspicuous and aesthetically elaborate consumption.　huā???
• Assoc: (EXCESSIVE)驕/ARROGANT The most current general word for arrogance of attitude and in behaviour is probably jiāo 驕 (ant.* bēi 卑 "humble in attitude") which refers to an overbearing exaggerated self-confidence and does not essentially involve a negative attitude towards others. [DISPOSITION], [GENERAL], [IMPERSONAL] 1 Attribution
• Relat: (LEWD)樂/DELIGHT The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY 1 Attribution