TLS - 漢學文典

Taxonomy of meanings for 物:　　

wù (OC: mɯd MC: miut) 文弗切入廣韻：【萬物也又旗名周禮雜帛爲物説文曰牛爲大物天地之數起於牽牛故從牛勿文弗切九】
- abstract: kind of thing>
  THING
  - nkind of thing; kind of object
  - nabfeature(non-specific reference 泛指) any thing, object, matter or event or state of affairs 天下重物也
  - nab.post-V{NUM}(countable) abstract items
  - nab(abstract) matter or event or state of affairs
  - nabmathematical termCHEMLA 2003:
  - nccspecimens of these three types
  - vihave the properties of a thing
  - vtoNattitudinaltreat as a thing
  - vtoNattitudinal, passivebe treated as thing
  - n{PRED}be a thingCH
  - ngeneralisedthingsCH
  - nplural; derogatorymere (outside) thingsCH
  - nababstract matters mentionedabstract matter mentioned earlier in the textCH
  - nderivedmaterial resourcesLZ
  - npronpro=objsomethingDS
  - npost-Vthing characterised by the feature VDS
  - abstract:as opposed to self>
    OTHER
    - npluralother things (compare 人 "others"
  - specifically>
    PRECIOUS
    - NPpluralexotic things
    - edible>
      DELICACY
      
      nmdelicacies
  - external of external>
    WORLD
    - nabmetaphysicalZHUANG: world of external things and events
  - referred to, i.e. meaning>
    MEAN
    - nabsemanticcontent; distinct substantial meaning; concrete reference 言之有物
- happening in time>
  EVENT
  - nabeventsituation, event
  - general: living>
    CREATURE
    - n(kind of) living creature 百物; 天物 "the creatures of this world that are from Heaven"
    - specific: animate>
      ANIMAL
      
      nnonreferentialliving creature, animals SW: 凡物無乳者｛"animals without milk, generally speaker"
      
      n{PRED}be a creature; be an animalCH
      - animate and supernatural> DEITY
        
        nnonreferentialthe spirits, spirits
        
        non-natural, extraordinary: STRANGE
        
        nabeventmonstrous event; monstrous occurence; monster
  - abstract>
    CATEGORY
    - nabmetaphysicalcategory ZHOULI 道馬一物，田馬一物; relative rank; GUOYU: 草木之產各以其物
    - categorise>
      ASSESS
      
      vtoNassess, estimate
    - pigmental, of cattle>
      COLOUR
      
      nabfeaturecolour as a significant feature of something ZHOULI 以五雲之物辨吉凶 distinguish between auspicious and
  - signifying allegiance>
    BANNER
    - nsilk banner of at least two colours, with a "swallow end"
  - offered up to state>
    TAX
    - nmritual (local) tax offerings 方物 "local taxes"
  - offered up to gods>
    SACRIFICE
    - nnonreferentialsacrificial object; sacrificial offerings; local sacrificial offerings

Additional information about 物

說文解字: 【物】，萬物也。牛爲大物，天地之數，起於牽牛，故从牛、勿聲。【文弗切】

Criteria

ANIMAL

[ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

[[COMMON/RARE]]

[TECHNICAL-TERM/CURRENT-WORD]

1. Chóng 蟲 is sometimes referred to animals of any kind, and not only to insect-like creatures.

[GENERAL]

2. The current general word for an animal of any kind would appear to be qín shòu 禽獸, although this word definitely excludes snails, insects, snakes and the like.

[CURRENT], [GENERAL]

3. Niǎo shòu 鳥獸 refers specifically to all birds and beasts.

[SPECIFIC]

4. Wù 物 is sometimes used to refer to what in Christian parlance are "creatures" of any kind. See CREATURE

[ARCHAIC?], [GENERAL]; [[RARE]]

5. Dòng wù 動物 refers quite generally to all animals as opposed to plants and inanimate creatures, but the word is really a technical term and is rarely used.

[GENERAL], [TECHNICAL]; [[RARE]]
OTHER

1. The current general word for "other" is tuō 他 / 它.

2. Yú 餘 refers specifically to the left-over items or the remaining items, sometimes in later texts also to different items.

3. Yì 異 "different" can occasionally come close in meaning to "other".

4. Gèng 更 is always used adnominally or adverbially and implies an action of changing items or - typically - an action of waiting until "another" item.

5. Rén 人 refers indefinitelyh to other persons, in the singular (someone else) or in the plural (other people), but never as "the other person" or as "the other people".

6. Wù 物 can occasionally come to refer to other things or creatures, sometimes even other people, in the singular or plural.
OBJECT

Wù 物 is used in philsophical contexts to objects of thought of any kind.
BASIC NATURE

1. The current and quite dominant word for the stable inherent and prototypically innate features of something is xìng 性 (ant. wéi 為 "what belongs to human action", and wěi 偽 "artificial").

2. Qíng 情 (ant. wěi 偽 "artificical acquired character") refers to the basic nature of a thing as forming a pattern of reaction to other things.

3. Xīn 心 refers specifically to psychological aspects of animate nature.

4. Tiān 天 refers specifically to the non-man-made aspect of the nature of things.

5. Zī 資 refers to human nature as an endowment and an asset given to man by nature.

6. Wéi rén 為人 and wéi wù 為物 the possibly conditioned and hardly alterable basic constitutive nature of thing.

7. Rén qíng 人情 refers to the natural sensibilities of humans.
PLANT

1. The general abstract term for a plant, rarely used, is zhí wù 植物.

2. The current term for plants or vegetation in general is cǎo mù 草木 "grasses and trees".

3. Cǎo 草 can refer to plants or all sorts, including flowers, but always to plants smaller than bushes.
BEAUTIFUL

[ABSOLUTE/GRADED]

[ACOUSTIC/VISUAL]

[ARTIFICIAL/NATURAL]

[[COMMON/RARE]]

[ELEVATED/VULGAR]

[GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

[HUMAN/NON-HUMAN]

[POETIC/PROSAIC]

1. The general word is měi 美 "handsome and admirable" (ant. è 惡 "ugly") which refers to anything concrete or abstract which is attractive or handsome in a dignified way, and the word often retains its primary culinary sense of "tasty".

[GENERAL], [GRADED]; [[COMMON]]

2. Lì 麗 (ant. sù 素 "unaodorned") is often restricted to physical objects, prototypically to clothes, and emphasises their balanced symmetric beauty, occasionally also - by analogy - the well-aligned symmetric beauty of mountains.

[ELEVATED], [NON-HUMAN], [VISUAL!]

3. Wén 文 (ant. zhì 質 "merely material") emphasises cultivated external as well as internal elegance as well as traditionalism.

[ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], [NON-HUMAN], [VISUAL!]

4. Yǎ 雅 (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") emphasises primarily external elevated elegance.

[ACOUSTIC!], [ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED+], [NON-HUMAN]

5. Hǎo 好 "comely, handsome" (ant. chǒu 醜 "ugly") refers indiscriminately to men and women, but the word is sometimes more general and even abstract in application and refers to attractive words or attractive moral qualities.

[HUMAN!], [NATURAL], [VISUAL]

6. Xiù 秀 "of vigorous and imposing beauty" focusses on flourishing and flamboyant beauty in analogy with that of flowers.

[ELEVATED], [NATURAL], [NON-HUMAN], [POETIC], [VISUAL]; [[RARE]]

7. Huá 華 "of striking and colourful beauty" (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") focusses on flourishing and flamboyant superficial or only apparent beauty, on the analogy analogy with that of flowers.

[ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], NON-HUMAN], [SUPERFICIAL], [VISUAL]

8. Zhuàng 壯 "stately" (ant. ruò 弱 "weak and unsightly") is virile beauty associated with strength and vigour. See STRONG

[NATURAL], [MARGINAL], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

9. Jiā 佳 "of outstanding beauty" (NB: liè 劣 "unremarkable" is the ant. of jiā 佳 "outstanding", and not in the meaning of "outstandingly beautiful") emphasises comparative beauty compared to others in the same group.

[GRADED], [ELEVATED], [NATURAL], [POETIC]

10. Dū 都 "urbane and exquisitely beautiful" (ant. bì 鄙 "rustic and inelegant") is a highly poetic word that can only be used in elevated prose.

[ARCHAIC], [ELEVATED], [POETIC], [VISUAL]; [[RARE]]

11. Yán 妍 "attractive and exquisite (of humans as well as human products)" (ant. chì 蚩 "unattractive") refers to elaborate beauty. See SEXY.

[ARCHAIC], [ELEVATED], [HUMAN], [POETIC]; [[RARE]]

12. Xiū 脩 / 修 "refined moral beauty" refers to moral as well as physical beauty, thus coming close the Greek kalokagathia, but never approaching the latter in importance as a cultural keyword.

<div>[ELEVATED], [ARTIFICIAL]; [[RARE]]</div><div> </div><div>吳蓬，東方審美詞彙集萃，上海文藝出版社，2002 lists the following rough definitions of a variety of terms of aesthetic appreciation by the artist and scholar Wu Peng. Many of these terms express conventional appreciative flattery only. This list does provide one not particularly well-known artist's subjective readings of some basic terms of traditional Chinese aesthetic approbation.</div><div>勃：富有生机之突起。 苍：浓的，毛的，老练的。 沉：沉着不浮，有重量感。 冲：调成和淡之意向。 饬：整顿。 粗：大而不笨者。 淳：清，往往易薄，然而淳是清中滋润之厚。 醇：与淳略同，这醇是提炼后的滋润之厚。 绰：与"约"字合用，即舒而不纵之意。 澹：平静而有幽淡之趣。 淡：与浓艳相对。 宕：放荡不拘。 跌：往往与"宕"字合用，即是起伏明显之状。 端：方正而不出偏，有稳实感。 敦：很实在的，结实的厚。 繁：众而密，有生气。 方：与平正同义。 丰：饱满而充足。 风：审美中之"风"指的是一种气韵格调。 飞：大幅度的流动。 刚：属于阳性的，有正力的，与柔软相对。</div><div>高：俯视一切的、超然得不一般。 工：规矩，不潦草。 孤：自我独立。 古：旧气，更有历史的抗怀千载之迹象。 骨：内在的架子。 犷：是跟"雄悍"接近，在粗中发展开来。 瑰：不单调的美。 乖：不和顺。 憨：近于拙朴而敦实。 酣：厚润四溢。 豪：激动向上之貌，有气魄。 宏：大而有气度。 厚：有沉积的饱和。 华：明亮而艳丽。 环：长久圆融之境。 荒：与"枯简"接近，不修饰。 豁：与开朗接近，然比开朗明显。 恢：宽广有余。 浑：团然一气之象，有朦胧感。 简：经过一番整修的减少。 娇：美得可爱。 警：审美中用此警字，往往指敏锐、颖达。 </div><div>劲：能察觉的力。 精：很到位。 隽：精致而具内涵之美。 娟：秀而婉丽。 崛：高起而突出。 俊：人材杰曲之美。 峻：山高而陡。在书画中是浓而锋利之用笔。 空：有灵气之空白。 枯：干而毛，生的萎缩，然亦是力的显露。 宽：大度而畅朗。 旷：广阔而空灵。 辣：是枯毛爽直的老笔触。 朗：明亮而豁然。 琅：圆而光润。 伦：是同类之意，带有文明意念。 冷：跟"淡"与"静”接近，与浓烈相对。 炼：精到而有功力。 淋：与"漓”往往合用，是无拘束的洒落。 流：明显的动感。 迈：阔而放的超势。 莽：宽广而繁密的，朴直奔放的。 袤：与"古"字合用，即悠长久远之趣。 茂：有生气的繁密。 媚：柔美之趣。 宓：安而静。 明：清晰有亮度。 凝：浓重而不流动。 懦：毫无火气之柔软。 平：一般的，接近于稳。 朴：原始状态，形象较准。 嫖：与"姚"字合用，即动疾之状，而有气势。 奇：不一般。 气：生发的，迎面直扑而来的感觉。 清：是混的相对。其间透出一股朗气。 峭：山之直而险，在书画中是露锋的侧锋用笔，有明显露 尖状态。文章中之峭，是意气直逼。 遒：婉转有致，内力强劲。 虬：与遒类似，但动感较强，弯曲而有力度。 意：诚实谨慎。 儒：代表文人之书卷气。 洒：散落无拘束。 赡：富有与丰实。若与"疏”、"逸”组合即成"澹”或"安"之义。</div><div>骚：审美中之骚字，可引伸为风骚至风流感。 韶：美丽有光泽。 涩：在不爽快的进程中，流露出内力之美。 深：不是浮面的。 神：精与气合。高端的。 生：不成熟，但比成熟有味。 肆：任意放纵。 松：松是灵活自然，是一切技巧之本要。 瘦：与粗笨相对，在审美中的"瘦"，是指细长而精练。 疏：一种稀少秀朗之美。 肃：有立即静穆下来之势。 率：与潦草随便有别，爽快而直接。 邃：深远而悠久。 阅：通达之意。 给：与"宕"合用，是安详舒放之趣。 天:很自然，一片天箱之"天"。 恬：安静而坦然。 挺：直而有生气。 婉：柔和而曲折。 温：是一种暖调与缓和的综合。</div><div>巍：往往与"峨"合用，是高大厚实之趣。 洗：与"炼”合用，即是"精炼"之意，凡物之洁出于洗。 犀：与"利"字合用，即坚利。 熙：光明，和乐。 细：指细而不纤。 娴：文静而雅致。 闲：一种高雅的自由。 萧：疏少有致。 潇：散朗而润泽。 馨：很醇厚的香气。 篁："篁古”是悠远辽阔之意。 雄：强大，有力度，有霸气。 秀：灵巧的，有生气的，美好的显露。 虚：表象空，但并非真空。 雅：文气而不俗。 妍：鲜美而柔性。 严：认真，不马虎。 淹：一种浸沉与精深明达之境。 野：超脱、不规范。 冶：经过一番精致修饰。 逸：悠闲的起伏。</div><div>意：精神倾向。 莹：透明而幽亮。 雍：往往与“容"字合用，有和顺之貌。 幽：静而深。 腴：肥润而饱和。 郁：厚积而有生气。 纤：与"迥"字合用，即弯环回绕之趣。 遹：与"瑰"字合用，即纤迥美丽之趣。 渊：往往与"懿"合用，是深润而悠美之趣。 圆：接近于饱满润滑。 蕴：与"藉"合用，即内涵丰富。 韵：一种余味不尽之趣。 恣：放纵的，无拘束的。 滋：湿润感。 自：出于本性的流露。 质：本体的，实在的。 纵：放逸无拘之状。 拙：接近朴，形不准。 庄：端正之貌。 卓：与“荤"合用，是突出明显之状。 </div><div> </div>
ANCHOR

1. The standard word for the metal anchor is máo 錨 and the first account of a metal anchor máo 錨 is in 天工開物.
CREATURE

1. The general term for any living creature of any kind is wù 物.
THING

1. The current standard word for any physical or non-physical object or creature is wù 物.

2. Shì 事 refers to a things as a subject matter, or as an event.

3. Shí 實 is a philosophical concept referring to any object or reality of any kind.
BEAST

[GENERAL]

[SPECIFIC]

Wild animals are generally mentioned in the context of hunting or capturing animals, and also in connection with their use in the culinary arts as well as in the production of utensils of all kinds. Their wild nature is standardly contrasted with humane or civilised domesticity.

1. Qín shòu 禽獸 is the current general word for non-domestic animals which often but not always includes birds of a certain size, but the term which includes all manner of fowl more explicitly is the also current niǎo shòu 鳥獸. See ANIMAL

[GENERAL]

2. Qín 禽 is sometimes used to refer quite generally to non-tame animals, especially in so far as these may be caught alive and with a net, but the word also refers specifically to wild birds. The word refers to smaller beasts than shòu 獸.

[SPECIFIC]

3. Shòu 獸 tends to refer to dangerous mammals above a certain size that are typically imagined as running (zǒu shòu 走獸 ), and sometimes as liable to bite..

[SPECIFIC]

4. Yě shòu 野獸 focusses on the habitat of wild animals far from human habitation, in the open countryside.

5. Máo 毛 and máo wù 毛物 refer generally to animals with feathers or fur, birds and beasts.
BANNER

[GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

1. The current general word for a military banner is qí 旗, and the word came to be used for any banner of any kind

[GENERAL]

2. Jīng 旌 is a banner used in hunts as well as in battle in order to guide and lead one's forces. This banner was embellished with feathers.

[SPECIFIC]

3. Wù 物 refers specifically to a multicoloured banner with a swallow-style end.

[SPECIFIC]

NB: The identification of given banners with classical terms is often controversial, and attributions vary among scholars.

Word relations

Result: (CREATURE)容/SHAPE
Ant: (THING)無 / 毋 / 亡 / 无/LACK The general term for the lack or the failure to have something is wú 無 (ant. yǒu 有 "have").
Contrast: (THING)貨/PROPERTY Huò 貨 refers to property, particularly precious metals or jade etc, insofar as these may be traded or is considered as being a possible object for trading.
Assoc: (ANIMAL)人/HUMAN The dominant term is rén 人 which refers to any human.
Assoc: (THING)萬/ALL
Oppos: (THING)身/PERSON Shēn 身 regularly refers to the embodied person, as something to be cultivated, and as something to be morally careful about, but the word is originally widely used to refer to the physical body as such being at times hard to distinguish from the figurative use discussed in this group. The word is very often reflexive.