Taxonomy of meanings for 聽:　　

  • tīng (OC: theeŋ MC: tʰeŋ) 他丁切 平 廣韻：【聆也又湯定切 】
  • LISTEN
    • nabdispositionability to listen; tendency to listen; taste in listening
    • nabfactualwhat one has heard
    • vt(oN)omlisten to the contextually determinate person or thing
    • vt[oN]listen to people; listen out for things
    • vt[oN]imperativeyou listen to me! Listen to what I have to say! (Mostly the subject of imperatives is omitted, so that here as elsewhere with verbs in the imperative one might be tempted to write the syntactic category as: vt[0][oN] . But there are apparent exceptions. In these exceptions it is typically possible to take the apparent subject as a separate vocative, along the lines of: Good friends! [You] must...)
    • vt+prep+Nlisten to
    • vtoNlisten to; pay attention to (without necessarily approving of)
    • vt[oN]N=speakerlisten to N
    • vtoNimperativelisten to! (The category is vt[oN])
    • vtoNpassivebe listened to
    • vtoNhearhear, "pick up" (in the streets)
    • nabactthe (kind of) listeningCH
    • vtoNlisten toCH
    • vttoN1+.vtoN2make N1 listen to N2 (聽人以言)LZ
    • vtoNlisten to N carefully; listen to N and retain the informationVK
    • to official administrative proceedings on> GOVERN
      • nabactattending to government
      • viactperform one's administrative duties, attend meetings
      • vtoNpreside over the government of; attend to (matters of government), conduct (government); supervise
    • with approval> ACCEPT
      • vtoNfigurativeaccept (an offer of a truce, a proposal, a remonstrance etc)
      • in practice> CONFORM
        • nabactacting in accordance with a plan
        • viactfollow advice
        • vt(oN)heed or conform to a contextually determinate object
        • vt+prep+Nact according to advice from N
        • vtoN.adVto V according to N's instructions
        • vtoNconcur with; be agreeable to; heed, follow the advice of; Danish: ta til efterretning; lend an ear to
        • vtoNpassivehave one's advice acted upon
        • consistently> FOLLOW
          • nabactthe practice of following advice; the listening to advice
          • vt(oN)obey commands or follow demands from a contextually determinate person
          • vt+prep+Nfollow the advice of
          • vtoNfollow someone's advice
          • vtoNcausativeto cause a determinate person to follow (something N)
          • vtoNN=nonhudo as one is bidden by; follow (advice)
          • vtoNpassivebe listened to, be followed (as advice)
      • by authority> PERMIT
        • vt(oN)give one's permission; follow advice of a contextually determinate person
        • vtoNpermit, go along with (a suggestion etc); permit someone to do as he pleases
        • vtt(oN.)+V[0]allow the contextually determinate N to V
        • vttoN.+V[0]permit N to V (as he wishes)
    • and reflect on> THINK
      • vtoNpay attention to
      • in action> INVESTIGATE
        • vtoNtry to get all the news about, investigate secretly cf. 打聽
    • to instructions, so as to follow them> OBEY
      • vtoNobey, show obedience to; act in accordance with (a demand) 不聽(with negation often with object omitted)
      • vt[oN]obey orders; be obedient to others; be obedient to anybody
      • nabdispositionobedience; ability to listen to advice
      • vt+prep+Nserve under, obey
      • vt(oN)imperativeobey the contextually determinate instructions/suggestions! Conform to (this).
      • vt(oN)obey the contextually determinate order N
      • vtoNfigurativefollow obediently a non-human authorityCH
      • intellectually> RELY ON
        • vt(oN)rely on or use the contextually determinate N
  • tìng (OC: theeŋs MC: tʰeŋ) 他定切 去 廣韻：【待也聆也謀也他定切又音㕔三 】

    Additional information about 聽

    說文解字:

      Criteria
    • LISTEN

      1. The current word for listening is tīng 聽, the nuance often being listening to and at the same time taking note of as sound advice etc.

      2. Líng 聆 adds the nuance of extreme respectful attention to the notion of listening.

      NB: The current word for hearing is wén 聞, and the word often involves nuances of learning something from an authoritative source. Seee HEAR.

    • DEAF

      1. The general word for deafness of any kind, congenital or not, is lóng 聾 (ant. tīng 聽 "able to hear").

      2. Kuì 聵 refers to congenital deafness of any kind, but the word is very rare.

    • OBEY

      1. The most current general word for obedience is probably cóng 從 (ant. jù 拒 "refuse to carry out an order"), which refers literally to the following of orders on particular occasions, and more generally to showing obedience to a person.

      2. Shùn 順 (ant. nì 逆 "refuse to conform") can refer to the conforming with a standard set by someone or an intention someone has.

      3. Fú 服 (ant. jiàng 強 "stubbornly refuse") is to submit to higher authority through obedience to its orders, and this submission may be either voluntary or enforced by circumstances.

      4. Tīng 聽 (ant. fú tīng 弗聽 "refuse to listen") refers primarily to following advice from inferiors, but the word is also used for being mindful of an order one has heard so as to carry it out.

      5. Nuò 諾 (ant. fǒu 否 "refuse to comply") is to declare an intention to do as one is told when one normally has no alternative but to obey.

    • FOLLOW

      1. The dominant current word for moving along behind someone or something else, both in concrete and in abstract senses, is cóng 從 (ant. bèi 背 "be in opposition against").

      2. Suí 隨 is to move along literally behind someone, by a deliberate act of volition.

      3. Zūn 遵 refers primarily to the kind of deliberate following of a path, behaviour that is motivated by respect for what one follows, but sometimes the word is also used in a more generalised way referring to a person following a certain physical guideline without any suggestion of respect for this guideline, as in MENG 遵海而南 "head south along the shore of the sea".

      4. Xún 循 is to follow certain guidelines or a certain prescribed path, as a matter of prudential strategy, and typically in a rather mechanical or habitual manner.

      5. Yǎn 沿 is to follow a physical guideline (like a river bank) in a mechanical way.

      6. Hòu 後 and zhǒng 踵 is to follow literally in the footsteps of someone.

      7. Tīng 聽 refers to the abstract notion of following advice given to one as a superior. See OBEY

      8. Yì 役 and xùn 徇 are fairly rare when used as words referring to the deliberate act of becoming someone's follower or employee.

      9. Xí 襲 refers to a mechanical course of action in conformity with some pattern.

      10. Zé 則 refers to the following of a certain abstract principle or model person to which due attention is paid. See CONFORM

    • 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.

    • INTELLIGENT

      1. The most general word for the native ability to understand or to do things is zhī 知 "knowing", but a problem with this word is that it ranges freely and often imperceptibly in meaning from spiritual wisdom to technical competence.

      2. Míng 明 (ant. àn 闇 "obfuscated in one's mind"), taking its analogy from sharpness of vision, typically refers to clarity of insight at all levels.

      3. Cōng 聰 (ant. kuì 聵 "hard of understanding"), taking its analogy from sharpness of hearing, typically refers to well-informed sharpness of judgment.

      4. Shān 顫 is a very rare word referring to the acute sense of smell, and thus to narine intelligence.

      5. Chá 察 refers to discriminating investigative intelligence.

      6. Ruì 睿 perspicacious in reflection.

      SHU, HONGFAN: 視曰明，聽曰聰，思曰睿。

    • CONFORM

      1. Perhaps the most general and the most current word describing conformity to a norm is shùn 順 (ant. nì 逆 "go against").

      2. Yóu 由 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking something as one's starting point or point of orientation.

      3. Dào 道 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking one's model to define the way of doing things for one.

      4. Yǐ 以 refers to conformity construed as a matter of availing oneself of something as an instrument or guideline.

      5. Yīn 因 refers to conformity construed as a matter of adapting to pre-existing models or rules.

      6. Yuán 緣 refers to conformity construed as a matter of following something attentively in all details as a guideline.

      7. Shǒu 守 refers to conformity construed as a matter of guarding a precedent or a tradition.

      8. Zhōu 周 and hé 合 (all ant. fǎn 反 "go against the model") refer to complete all-round conformity construed as overall identification with a model.

      9. Chèn 稱 refers to conformity construed as a matter of balancing one's actions against a standard.

      10. Yìng 應 and

      shì 適 refer to conformity construed as a matter of responding adequately to given facts.

      12. Cóng 從 and suí 隨 refer to conformity construed as a matter of following a lead.

      12. Tīng 聽 refers specifically to a superior acting in conformity with his inferior's suggestions.

    • PERMIT

      1. The current general word for formal permission for someone to do something which he asks to do is xǔ 許 (ant. jìn 禁 "forbid").

      2. Tīng 聽 (ant. fú tīng 弗聽 "refuse to listen" and the rarer bì 愎 "be stubborn (and refuse)") refers to the superior giving permission for a suggestion from his inferiors to be carried out, typically by himself or his agents.

      3. Dé 得 refers to the obtaining explicit or implicit permission to go ahead with something one would like to do.

      4. Shǐ 使 (ant. jìn 禁 "prohibit, forbid") is sometimes used to refer to a failure to prevent someone from doing something which amounts to an implicit form of permission.

      Word relations
    • Inconsist: (LISTEN)聾/DEAF The general word for deafness of any kind, congenital or not, is lóng 聾 (ant. tīng 聽 "able to hear").
    • Result: (LISTEN)信/BELIEVE Xìn 信 is sometimes used to refer to someone trusting something to be the case or being confident that something is the case.
    • Ant: (FOLLOW)拒/REFUSE Jù 拒 (ant. chéng 承 "accept (a task)") refers to emphatic refusal, a decision to have nothing to do with something.
    • Contrast: (LISTEN)聞/HEAR The standard word for hearing or overhearing anything is wén 聞.
    • Assoc: (OBEY)從/OBEY The most current general word for obedience is probably cóng 從 (ant. jù 拒 "refuse to carry out an order"), which refers literally to the following of orders on particular occasions, and more generally to showing obedience to a person.
    • Oppos: (LISTEN)言/SPEAK Yán 言 is to speak up, propose, typically in public, and on one's own initiative, to maintain something, and the word can indroduce direct speech as well as occasionally very limited indirect speech.