Taxonomy of meanings for 練:　　

  • 練 liàn (OC: ɡ-reens MC: len) 郎甸切 去 廣韻：【白練又姓何氏姓苑云南康人郎甸切十五 】
    • SILK PRODUCTION
      • nabactrefining of silk
      • virefine silk, among other things, from Han times onwards, by dǎo 搗 "pounding" it, and from earliest times by xǐ 洗 "washing" it, shài 晒 "exposing it to the sun" etc.
      • product>SILK
        • nmrefined off-white silk
        • vadVin off-white refine silk styleCH
      • similar action>WASH
          • religious>SACRIFICE
            • viactconduct mourning sacrifice during the period of mourning
          • metaphorical>TEACH
            • vadNwell-trained
            • vigradedto be better trained (in military affairs)
            • vttoN.+V[0]reflexive.自train oneself to V
            • generalisd>CULTIVATE
              • viactcultivate; practice
              • vtoNcultivate properly
              • vtoNmiddle voicebe properly cultivated
            • result>KNOW
          • resulting feature>WHITE
            • vadNwhite, undyed
        • RIVERS
          • SURNAMES
            • MELT
                (煉)
            • liànSTUDY
              • vtoNstudy in a repetitive wayCH

            Additional information about 練

            說文解字: 【練】，湅繒也。从糸、柬聲。 【郎甸切】

              Criteria
            • TEACH

              1. The current general word for training, instructing, and disciplining others is jiào 教 (ant. xué 學 "study") and the standard main aim of jiào 教 is unquestioning obedience, professional skill, and intellectual conformity to the standard set by the teacher, and the word connotes use of authority and sometimes even coercion. The primary aim of jiào 教 is action conforming to a standard, and the word is commonly nominalised.

              2. Huì 誨 (ant. xí 習 "study persistently") refers to systematic and persistent efforts to teach and inculcate intellectual or practical skills ( 誨之琴 "taught him to play the zither") and moral understanding of students ( 誨女知之 "I will teach you so you understand"), and the word never implies coercion or any threat of force. Huì 誨 can be mutual, or refer to equals teaching equals, even subordinates teaching superiors 諫誨 "remonstrate with and instruct". The word is not commonly nominalised. The primary aim of huì 誨 is understanding.

              3. Huà 化 refers to successful disciplining and teaching, typically on a large social scale. See INFLUENCE

              4. Qǐ 啟 and fā 發 refer to the opening up of new intellectual and moral dimensions for others.

              5. Xùn 訓 refers in a rather abstract way to formal strict instruction and training aimed primarily at professional skill.

              6. Zhào 詔 refers to instruction by means of useful information or warning.

              7. Fēng 風 is occasionally used to refer to teaching by example.

              8. Liàn 練 refers specifically to military training and only occasionally to other forms of drill.

              9. Dào 道 refers to the content of what is taught, and is largely restricted to postnominal position, as in 儒道 "Confucian teaching".

            • SILK PRODUCTION

              1. The current general word for producing refined silk is liàn 練.

            • SILK

              1. The general word for any kind of silk cloth it is bó 帛.

              2. Juàn 絹 refers to thin silk gauze.

              3. Zēng 繒 is close in meaning to bó 帛 with which it often forms a binome, but the word first became current in Han times.

              4. Sù 素 refers to to raw undyed silk cloth.

              5. Bì 幣 typically refers to silk insofar as it is used as currency or as a formal gift.

              6. Zī 緇 refers to non-shiny, matt, very darkish grey silk important in ritual garments.

              7. Liàn 練 refers to refined off-white glossy silk.

              8. Jián 縑 refers to double-thread thick silk.

              9. Tí 綈 refers to refined and washed double-thread thick silk.

              Word relations
            • Ant: (WHITE)染/DYE The current general word for dyeing something is rǎn 染 "to dye".