Taxonomy of meanings for 相:　　

Additional information about 相

說文解字: 【相】，省視也。从目、从木。 〔小徐本「木」上無「从」。〕 《易》曰：地可觀者，莫可觀於木。《詩》曰：相鼠有皮。 【息良切】

Criteria
• CONTRARY
  

  1. The current word for being logically or practically opposed to something else is fǎn 反 (ant. tóng 同 "agree with, go along with").

  2. Guāi 乖 refers to any kind of practical contradiction or opposition, also opposition to what is current and acceptable. See WICKED

  2. Bèi 悖 (ant. xié 諧 "be in harmony with, be perfectly consistent with") refers quite abstractly to logical incoherence or inconsistency.

  3.Hài 害 (ant. yì 益 "further strengthen the point") is a term for logical inconsistency.

  4. Xiāng gōng 相攻 and bù xiāng róng 不相容 are technical terms referring to logical incompatibility.

  NB: Shuǐ huǒ 水火 is late post-Buddhist and refers vividly to a practical incompatibility.

• SHAPE
  

  1. The most current general word describing the physical shape of something is xíng 形.

  2. Mào 貌 and the much rarer and more abstract biǎo 表 are terms referring to mere external physical outline as opposed to inner reality.

  3. Zhuàng 狀 is the dynamic physical manifestation of something.

  4. Guān 觀 is the visual aspect of something, including its coloration.

  5. Xiàng 相 is the significant external form (including coloration) as indicative of what is behind it.

  6. Xiàng 象 "abstract pattern made by things" is both aesthetic and metaphysical in force and construes appearance as something symbolic of and structurally similar to an underlying reality.

  7. Wén 文 refers to dignified, fine pattern a shape makes.

• PRETEND
  

  1. The current general word for pretending to be what one is not is yáng 佯 (ant.* zhēn xiàng 真相 "real shape").

  2. Wěi 偽 (ant. zhēn 真 "genuine") refers to the deliberate production of something artificial, and by extension the word comes to mean "pretend".

  3. Shì 飾 (ant. pǔ 樸 "basic and genuine, unadorned") refers to ostentatious pretence.

  4. Wū 誣 (ant. xìn 信 "trusty") emphaises the fraudulent aspect of pretense.

  5. Wēi fú 微服 and wēi xíng 微行 refer specifically to a notorious person going out and pretending to be an ordinary citizen of some kind or another.

  6. Jiǎ 假 (ant. zhēn 真 "genuine") is rare in pre-Buddhist times and refers to pretending to do something.

• YOU
  

  1. The current general second person pronouns are rǔ 汝 in informal contexts, and in polite contexts zǐ 子.

  2. The current informal pronoun is rǔ 汝, and this word is commonly used in imperatives.

  <div>3. Ěr 爾 is another informal second person pronoun, and the word is not generally used in imperatives.</div><div><br></div><div>4. Ruò 若 is a poetic/archaising second person pronoun that went out of current use in Tang (待考）times. </div><div><br></div><div>5. Jūn 君 addresses superiors as well as equals formally, and politely.</div><div><br></div><div>6. Qīng 卿 is probably stylistically colloquial and addresses inferiors informally.</div><div><br></div><div>7. Dà wáng 大王 is the polite formal address to any king, small or powerful. </div><div><br></div><div>8. Wú zǐ 吾子, extremely common in the Zuozhuan, is respectful and honorific, but in a communicativ and sometimes even intimate mode: ·鄭玄注："吾子，相貌之辞。<br></div><br>

• MINISTER
  

  1. The general word for a government minister at any level and of any kind is chén 臣, generically rén chén 人臣.

  2. Zuǒ yòu 左右 refers to the senior ministers in the immediate environment of a king or duke who were able, ex officio, to speak up in court.

  3. Xiàng 相 refers to the head of the group of ministers, the prime minister, also called yǐn 尹 or lìng yǐn 令尹 in the southern state of Chǔ.

  4. Qīng 卿 refers to a member of the group fo senior ministers, variously defined.

  The list of senior official titles in ancient China is long indeed. See Hucker and Zuo Yandong's monograph.

• MUTUAL
  

  1. The current general word for mutuality between any number of agents is jiāo 交 which can refer to multiple mutual relations entertained or joined into by any given agent.

  2. Xiāng 相 refers to mutuality but not necessarily reciprocity between two agents and the mutuality does not have to be contemporaneous (NB: the word even more often acts as an object pronouns). Thus X may do something to Y, and Y to Z, and this constellation would allow for the use of xiāng 相, as in the phrase xiāng jì 相繼 or xiāng suí 相隨 "1. follow one another; (but note also the here irrelevant 2. followed him/her/them)". Moreover, xiāng zhù 相助 does not imply synchronised or contemporaneous help: X may help Y at one time, and Y may help X at another time, and this collaboration will qualify for xiāng zhù 相助.

  3. Hù 互 refers specifically to reciprocity of interaction between two agents, and the reciprocity of interaction must occur at the same time.

• GOVERN
  

  1. The general word for governing, administering or ordering things is zhì 治, old reading chí.

  2. Wéi 為, yǒu 有, yòng 用, lín 臨, lì 蒞, lǐ 理 are polite ways of referring to the government by a legitimate ruler.

  3. Nán miàn 南面, tīng zhèng 聽政, and the late jiàn zuò 踐祚 "ascend the throne and hold control" are polite ways of referring to the occupation of ruler's position by a legitimate incumbent.

  4. Zhèng 政 refers to the basically bureaucratic administration of a state, practical implementation of governmental measures.

  5. Shù 術 refers to the "philosophical" and political art of statecraft.

  6. Xiǎng 享 refers to government of a state as a privilege enjoyed by the legitimate ruler.

  7. Wàng 王 is the proper government of a state by its legitimate ruler, and term often has "idealising" nuances.

  8. Jūn 君 refers to de-facto government by a ruler without any idealising or approving nuances being implied.

  9. Zhuān 專 refers to the (often illegal or not entirely law-based) monopolising of power, and the word often has negative connotations.

  10. Xiàng 相 refers to senior roles in government bureaucracy other than those of the ruler.

  11. Sī 司 refers to administration on a scale below that of a state.

  12. Shǐ 使 refers to leadership, typically of the people.

  13. Mù 牧 refers to government as a paternalistic responsibility of the ruler.

• MUTUAL LOVE
  

  MO 相愛

• 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><br></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。<br>苍：浓的，毛的，老练的。<br>沉：沉着不浮，有重量感。<br>冲：调成和淡之意向。<br>饬：整顿。<br>粗：大而不笨者。<br>淳：清，往往易薄，然而淳是清中滋润之厚。<br>醇：与淳略同，这醇是提炼后的滋润之厚。<br>绰：与"约"字合用，即舒而不纵之意。<br>澹：平静而有幽淡之趣。<br>淡：与浓艳相对。<br>宕：放荡不拘。<br>跌：往往与"宕"字合用，即是起伏明显之状。<br>端：方正而不出偏，有稳实感。<br>敦：很实在的，结实的厚。<br>繁：众而密，有生气。<br>方：与平正同义。<br>丰：饱满而充足。<br>风：审美中之"风"指的是一种气韵格调。<br>飞：大幅度的流动。<br>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。<br>工：规矩，不潦草。<br>孤：自我独立。<br>古：旧气，更有历史的抗怀千载之迹象。<br>骨：内在的架子。<br>犷：是跟"雄悍"接近，在粗中发展开来。<br>瑰：不单调的美。<br>乖：不和顺。<br>憨：近于拙朴而敦实。<br>酣：厚润四溢。<br>豪：激动向上之貌，有气魄。<br>宏：大而有气度。<br>厚：有沉积的饱和。<br>华：明亮而艳丽。<br>环：长久圆融之境。<br>荒：与"枯简"接近，不修饰。<br>豁：与开朗接近，然比开朗明显。<br>恢：宽广有余。<br>浑：团然一气之象，有朦胧感。<br>简：经过一番整修的减少。<br>娇：美得可爱。<br>警：审美中用此警字，往往指敏锐、颖达。<br></div><div>劲：能察觉的力。<br>精：很到位。<br>隽：精致而具内涵之美。<br>娟：秀而婉丽。<br>崛：高起而突出。<br>俊：人材杰曲之美。<br>峻：山高而陡。在书画中是浓而锋利之用笔。<br>空：有灵气之空白。<br>枯：干而毛，生的萎缩，然亦是力的显露。<br>宽：大度而畅朗。<br>旷：广阔而空灵。<br>辣：是枯毛爽直的老笔触。<br>朗：明亮而豁然。<br>琅：圆而光润。<br>伦：是同类之意，带有文明意念。<br>冷：跟"淡"与"静”接近，与浓烈相对。<br>炼：精到而有功力。<br>淋：与"漓”往往合用，是无拘束的洒落。<br>流：明显的动感。<br>迈：阔而放的超势。<br>莽：宽广而繁密的，朴直奔放的。<br>袤：与"古"字合用，即悠长久远之趣。<br>茂：有生气的繁密。<br>媚：柔美之趣。<br>宓：安而静。<br>明：清晰有亮度。<br>凝：浓重而不流动。<br>懦：毫无火气之柔软。<br>平：一般的，接近于稳。<br>朴：原始状态，形象较准。<br>嫖：与"姚"字合用，即动疾之状，而有气势。<br>奇：不一般。<br>气：生发的，迎面直扑而来的感觉。<br>清：是混的相对。其间透出一股朗气。<br>峭：山之直而险，在书画中是露锋的侧锋用笔，有明显露<br>尖状态。文章中之峭，是意气直逼。<br>遒：婉转有致，内力强劲。<br>虬：与遒类似，但动感较强，弯曲而有力度。<br>意：诚实谨慎。<br>儒：代表文人之书卷气。<br>洒：散落无拘束。<br>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。<br>韶：美丽有光泽。<br>涩：在不爽快的进程中，流露出内力之美。<br>深：不是浮面的。<br>神：精与气合。高端的。<br>生：不成熟，但比成熟有味。<br>肆：任意放纵。<br>松：松是灵活自然，是一切技巧之本要。<br>瘦：与粗笨相对，在审美中的"瘦"，是指细长而精练。<br>疏：一种稀少秀朗之美。<br>肃：有立即静穆下来之势。<br>率：与潦草随便有别，爽快而直接。<br>邃：深远而悠久。<br>阅：通达之意。<br>给：与"宕"合用，是安详舒放之趣。<br>天:很自然，一片天箱之"天"。<br>恬：安静而坦然。<br>挺：直而有生气。<br>婉：柔和而曲折。<br>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。<br>洗：与"炼”合用，即是"精炼"之意，凡物之洁出于洗。<br>犀：与"利"字合用，即坚利。<br>熙：光明，和乐。<br>细：指细而不纤。<br>娴：文静而雅致。<br>闲：一种高雅的自由。<br>萧：疏少有致。<br>潇：散朗而润泽。<br>馨：很醇厚的香气。<br>篁："篁古”是悠远辽阔之意。<br>雄：强大，有力度，有霸气。<br>秀：灵巧的，有生气的，美好的显露。<br>虚：表象空，但并非真空。<br>雅：文气而不俗。<br>妍：鲜美而柔性。<br>严：认真，不马虎。<br>淹：一种浸沉与精深明达之境。<br>野：超脱、不规范。<br>冶：经过一番精致修饰。<br>逸：悠闲的起伏。</div><div>意：精神倾向。<br>莹：透明而幽亮。<br>雍：往往与“容"字合用，有和顺之貌。<br>幽：静而深。<br>腴：肥润而饱和。<br>郁：厚积而有生气。<br>纤：与"迥"字合用，即弯环回绕之趣。<br>遹：与"瑰"字合用，即纤迥美丽之趣。<br>渊：往往与"懿"合用，是深润而悠美之趣。<br>圆：接近于饱满润滑。<br>蕴：与"藉"合用，即内涵丰富。<br>韵：一种余味不尽之趣。<br>恣：放纵的，无拘束的。<br>滋：湿润感。<br>自：出于本性的流露。<br>质：本体的，实在的。<br>纵：放逸无拘之状。<br>拙：接近朴，形不准。<br>庄：端正之貌。<br>卓：与“荤"合用，是突出明显之状。<br></div><div><br></div><br>

• INTERACT
  

  1. The general objective word referring to mutual social interaction is jiāo 交.

  2. Jiē 接, literally "get in touch with", refers to the making contact of one agent with another.

  3. Jì 際 is the interface on which interaction occurs or does not occur.

  4. Xiāng 相 and the rare hù 互 are grammaticalised words referring to reciprocity.

• ASSESS
  

  [DEFINITIVE/TENTATIVE]

  [FIGURATIVE/LITERAL]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  [PRECISE/VAGUE]

  [PROSPECTIVE/RETROSPECTIVE]

  1. Jì 計 refers to assessing something by a process of literal or figurative "precise calculation", and this is perhaps the most general word in this field.

  [GENERAL], [PRECISE]

  2. Liào 料 refers to a tentative and approximative subjective assessment, typically of probabilities.

  [APPROXIMATIVE], [PROSPECTIVE], [TENTATIVE]

  3. Cè 測 are to assess roughly or approximately, typically probabilities of the future, but also current matters.

  [VAGUE], [TENTATIVE]

  4. Lùn 論 focusses on the judgment passed explicitly by way of explicit assessment, and the word often has a theoretical or juridical flavour.

  [DEFINITIVE], [EXPLICIT]

  5. Liáng 量 refers very often literally to measuring physical dimensions of any kind, but can also be used figuratively to mean "fathom, imagine fully the size of something".

  [LITERAL!]

  6. Duó 度 is often more abstract in nuance and expresses something in the direction of a conclusive opinion about the matter assessed. Thus this meaning of duó 度 is close to the related meaning "reckon that, consider that".

  [FIGURATIVE]; [[RARE]], [[MARGINAL]]

  7. Chéng 程 is to apply an administrative standard in the bureaucratic assessment of something.

  [DEFINITIVE], [OFFICIAL], [PRECISE]

  8. Jiān 監 is to assess continuously through surveillence and the like, often through the intermediary of others.

  [LASTING], [OFFICIAL], [VAGUE]

  9. Chēng 稱 is primarily to assess the weight of something. See WEIGH.

  10. Xiàng 相 is specifically to assess the basic inner true qualities of something on the basis of external features, as in physiognomy or the art of assessing the true quality horses by heir appearance.

  [DEFINITIVE], [PRECISE], [SPECIFIC]

• APPOINT
  

  [FORMAL/INFORMAL]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  [IMPOLITE/POLITE]

  [TECHNICAL-TERM/CURRENT-WORD]

  1. Bài 拜 (ant. biǎn 貶 "demote to a lower position in the hierarchy at court") refers formally and bureaucratically to a high appointment at court.

  [POLITE], [SPECIFIED]; [vtt!]

  2. Shì 仕 (ant. chù 黜 "remove from office") describes a position below the top echelon in pre-Qín times, but came to refer to the highest kinds of appointment in Hàn times.

  [FORMAL], [GENERAL]

  3. Huàn 宦 is rarer, refers originally to the position of a menial servant, but became basically synonymous with shì 仕, except that huàn 宦 normally refers to positions held at court.

  [SPECIFIC], [FORMAL]

  4. Wéi 為 "make into" is a neutral informal term which does not primarily refer to the formal investment or any transferring of the insignia of office.

  [GENERAL], [INFORMAL]

  5. Xiàng 相 is used in a derived sense for an appointment to a specific high position, that of Prime Minister.

  [FORMAL], [SPECIFIC+]

  6. Shǔ 署 is a Hàn dynasty technical buraucratic term.

  [FORMAL], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

  7. Mìng 命 refers specifically to the conferment of the title which goes with an official appointment.

  [FORMAL], [CURRENT-WORD]

  8. 委

  9. 授

• LEAD
  

  1. The current general term for leadership or guidance of any kind is dǎo 導 / 道.

  2. Shuài 率 / 帥 places stronger emphasis on leadership in a certain campaign than on general guidance.

  3. Jiāng 將 and yǐn 引 refer to leading an informal group, large or small, occasionally even a single person.

  4. Xiàng 相 refers specifically to leading or guiding the blind.

  5. Shuài 帥 refers specifically to leadership in a military campaign.

  6. Jiàng 將 refers to a formal formal military rank and leadership exercised by someone occupying that rank.

  7. Xiān 先 refers to leadership on the image of being at the head of a procession.

• APPEARANCE
  

  [[CURRENT/RARE]]

  [DELIBERATE/INVOLUNTARY]

  [DYNAMIC/STATIC]

  [OUTLINE/SURFACE]

  [SIGNIFICANT/SUPERFICIAL]

  1. Mào 貌 (ant. xīn 心 "real inner feelings") emphasises the merely external as less than indicative of what is inside, and this is the most general word.

  [GENERAL], [STATIC], [SUPERFICIAL]

  2. Sè 色 (ant. xīn 心 "real inner feelings") is external appearance, particular facial expression, expressive of or productive of feeling. Thus hǎo sè 好色 is the kind of appearance which, being attractive, causes men to feel attracted. Hào sè 好色 "love beautiful women" involves a different meaning of the word: "female beauty; sex".

  [SIGNIFICANT+], [VOLUNTARY!]

  3. Zhuàng 狀 "external shape" and xíng 形 "physical form" (ant. zhì 質 "real inner substance") emphasise three-dimensional appearance as such. See SHAPE

  [INVOLUNTARY], [STATIC], [SUPERFICIAL]

  4. Zī 姿 is rare and emphasises the dynamic gestural aspect of one's external appearance.

  [DYNAMIC], [DELIBERATE]; [[RARE]]

  5. Tài 態 views external appearance as a typically deliberate manifestation of an attitude or stance.

  [DELIBERATE], [DYNAMIC], [SIGNIFICANT]

  6. Róng 容 refers to the contours of a person, expecially the contours of his or her face. See FACE.

  [DYNAMIC], [OUTLINE]

  7. Wài 外 (ant. nèi 內 "inner reality") refers colourlessly and neutrally to outer apperance as opposed to inner reality.

  [OUTLINE], [STATIC]

  8. Xiàng 相 refers to the outward appearance of something as profoundly indicative of inward qualities (as in physiognomy).

  [INVOLUNTARY], [SIGNIFICANT], [STATIC]

• ASSISTANT
  

  [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  [HUMBLE/NOBLE]

  [PRECISE/VAGUE]

  [TECHNICAL-TERM/CURRENT-TERM]

  1. The most general and most current colourless word for an assistant to any official in any capacity, but often in the capacity of a sernior minister, is fǔ 輔.

  [GENERAL], [VAGUE]

  2. Chéng 丞 became especially common from Qin times onwards, and this bureaucratic term can refer to any assistant in formal employment.

  [SPECIFIC], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

  3. Fù 副 is a bureaucratic term that refers to a junior official of any kind in formal employment in Han times.

  [HUMBLE], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

  4. Èr 貳 is a standard archaic word referring to minor assistants in formal employment (ZHOULI).

  [ARCHAIC], [HUMBLE]

  5. Zuǒ 佐 refers to a person closely linked to the master and taking charge of minor practical matters, a personal servant, perhaps a secretary, but the word refers generally to a "helping hand".

  [HUMBLE]

  6. Xiàng 相 can be used to refer to an assistant at any level, or to the functions fulfilled by such an assistant. See HELP

  [SPECIFIC]

Word relations
• Assoc: (MINISTER)將/GENERAL The general term for a senior military leader of any kind is jiàng 將, but this word normally refers to a person in charge of a given campaign, and the rank is not in Warring States times a bureaucratic permanent military to hold.
• Oppos: (APPEARANCE)性/BASIC NATURE 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"). 1 Attribution