Taxonomy of meanings for 烝:　　

  • 烝 zhēng (OC: kjɯŋ MC: tɕɨŋ) 煑仍切 廣韻：【説文曰火氣上行也 】
    • ANCESTRAL SACRIFICE
      • nabactname of a summer sacrifice in which one offers steamed rice to the ancestors
      • viactperform the summer sacrifice in which one offers steamed rice to the ancestors
    • COPULATE
      • vt+prep+Nhave sexual relations with (a person of a higher generation or of higher status)
      • vtoNhave sexual relations with (a person of a higher generation or a superior for political reasons)
    • EXCELLENT
      • visplendid
    • GIFT
      • vtoN(sacrifice>) general: give as a present
    • MANY
      • vadVin great numbers
      • vibe many; be numerous
    • STEAM FOOD
      • vadNsteamed
      • vadNab{ACT}by means of steaming
      • vtoNto steam
    • PUT
      • SUMMON
        • SMOKE
          • RISE
            • FIREWOOD
              • LASTING
                • VIRTUE
                  • INITIAL PARTICLES
                  • 烝 zhèng (OC: kjɯŋs MC: tɕɨŋ) 諸應切 去 廣韻：【熱又音蒸 】

                    Additional information about 烝

                    說文解字: 【烝】，火气上行也。 〔小徐本無「上行」二字。〕 从火、丞聲。 【煑仍切】

                      Criteria
                    • MANY

                      1. The dominant word referring to numerousness and a large quantity of a stuff is duō 多 (ant. shǎo 少 ).

                      2. Zhòng 眾 (ant. guǎ 寡 "few") and zhū 諸 refer to a large number of items of a certain kind.

                      3. Shù 庶 (ant. shǎo 少 "few") refers to a large number of typically animate and preferably human beings.

                      4. Fēn 紛 and the rarer yún yún 紜紜 refer to a confusing assembly of many things.

                      5. Shù 數 (ant.* dú 獨 "the only one" or * dān 單 ) refers to a fairly large number of things of a specified kind.

                      6. Fán 繁 refers to a large number of proliferating things.

                      7. Zhēng 烝 is a poetic word characterising the large size of a population.

                    • 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.