Taxonomy of meanings for 燈:　　

Additional information about 燈

說文解字:

Criteria
• LAMP
  

  1. The current general term for a lamp is dēng 燈, and it refers to the vessel (which itself is also written dēng 鐙 ) containing oil, fat, or even melted wax, usually made of metal. Most common were lamps resembling a bowl on a high foot. The bowl was filled with fat or oil which was either burnt itself, or in the centre there was fixed a torch, made ussually of hemp stalks or reed, which was burnt. The lamp came to use in the early Warring States period, and became very common in Han times.

  2. Gāng dēng 釭燈 refers to the lamp with a hollow space for smoke; that the term actually refers to this kind of a lamp is supported by several inscriptions on Han lamps.

  3. Dēng 鐙 is another term for dēng 燈, but the word refers specifically to the vessel itself.

  4. Liáo 燎 refers to a large torch standing on the floor; it was used particularly to illuminate courtyards of the palaces; hence also referred to as tíng liáo 庭燎. Mentioned already in SHIJING.

  5. Jù 炬 refers to the torch.

  6. Jué 爝 refers to a torch; according to HUANG it should be a small torch, but this suggestion is based only on the possible connotations of the compound 爵.]

  7. Là zhú 蠟燭 is the post-Buddhist word for a wax candle. Note that bees were not raised in ancient China, therefore candles were rather valuable artefacts. See CANDLE.

Word relations
• Assoc: (LAMP)燭/CANDLE Zhú 燭refers to the hand-held torch made ussually of hemp stalks or reed. The word is also used for the torch put in a lamp. Some scholars suggest that the term refers to the candle. WANG 1993: 255; HUANG 1995: 1372; SUN 1991: 351. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (LAMP)燭/CANDLE Zhú 燭refers to the hand-held torch made ussually of hemp stalks or reed. The word is also used for the torch put in a lamp. Some scholars suggest that the term refers to the candle. WANG 1993: 255; HUANG 1995: 1372; SUN 1991: 351.