Taxonomy of meanings for 管:　　

  • 管 guǎn (OC: koonʔ MC: kʷɑn) 古滿切 上 廣韻：【樂器也主當也又姓出平原周文王子管叔之後古滿切十二 】
    • WIND INSTRUMENTS
        • general> MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
          • specific: pitch-pipe> PIPE
            • nflute; tube see 管
            • nbamboo flute; flute
            • as with a pitch-pipe> CONTROL
              • vtoNmanipulate, manage, take care of; control, be in control of
              • controlling agency of perception> ORGAN
              • general> TUBE
                • ntube
                • guǎn GATE PART
                  • nthe small bolt across the two wings in the door on which the lock is placed
                  • concrete: tubular tool> KEY
                    • nkey
                    • nabfigurativecrucial part, essential point, "key"LZ
                    • vtoNfigurativehave N as one's crucial partLZ
                • figurative: intellectually narrow like a pipe> STUPID
            • STATES
              • nprname of a state
            • THINKERS
              • WRITING TOOL
                • npost-Han: brush
            • 管 guan1 《集韻》古丸切，平桓見。

                Additional information about 管

                說文解字: 【管】，如篪， 〔小徐本「篪」作「箎」。〕 六孔，十二月之音，物開地牙，故謂之管。从竹、官聲。 【古滿切】 【琯】，古者玉琯以玉，舜之時，西王母來獻其白琯。前零陵文學姓奚，於伶道舜祠下得笙玉琯，夫以玉作音，故神人以和，鳳皇來儀也。从玉、官聲。

                  Criteria
                • CONTROL

                  1. The most current general word in this group is zhì 制 (ant. zòng 縱 "give free rein to"), which refers to all kinds of control, political, physical, as well as psychological.

                  2. Zhì 治 refers to the orderly and principled long-term control of something.

                  3. Yù 御 refers to the exercise of sovereign unchallenged control over.

                  4. Guǎn 管 and zhǎng 掌 refer to the concrete practical control over something large or small.

                  5. Shàn 擅 refers to gaining or having unlegitimised sole control of something. See MONOPOLISE

                  6. Zhuān 專 refers to having sole control, typically of some administrative function. See MONOPOLISE

                  7. Bà 霸 refers to dominating and controlling something through a supreme display of power. See also RULER

                • KEY

                  1. Keys are rarely mentioned, but the general term is guǎn 管.

                  Word relations
                • Assoc: (PIPE)籥/PIPE Yuè 籥 is a rare word referring to a rather primitive three-hole bamboo flute.
                • Assoc: (PIPE)簫/MOUTH ORGAN Xiāo 簫refers to a system of 32 pipes arranged on one plane. A smaller variety had 16 pipes so arranged. It was played in the manner of the modern mouth organ. It is also called cēn cī 參差.
                • Assoc: (PIPE)箎/PIPE chí