Taxonomy of meanings for 臨:　　

  • 臨 lín (OC: b-rɯm MC: lim) 力尋切 平 廣韻：【莅也大也監也又姓後趙録有秦州刺史臨深也 】
    • GO TO
      • vt(oN)go to the contextually determinate place; attend the contextually determinate event
      • vtoNgo to and attend
      • resultative> APPROACH
        • vt+prep+Ngo close to, get close to; approach (and gaze down on)
        • vt0oN.adStemporalwhen it comes/came to the time N,...
        • vtoN命臨沒 "When life is about to come to an end" move (often downwards) towards, approach (and arrive at); move close to.
        • vtoNN=abstractapproach (a time, a situation etc)
        • vtoNfigurativespiritually: move close to in spiritCH
        • resulting feature> NEAR
          • vt+prep+Nlocalbe close to (geographically)
          • vtoNstativebe close to, be near to
        • causative:in form> COPY
          • vtoNpost-Han, TANG: make a non-mechanical copy of, imitate (a painting)
        • linguistic> ADDRESS
          • hostile> ATTACK
            • vtoNderivedmove threateningly towards; move against; turn againstCS
            • psychological> THREATEN
              • vtoNderivedthreaten; menaceCS
        • resultative> ARRIVE
          • vt0oN.adSwhen it comes to the time of N
          • vtoNcome along toCH
          • resultative> ENCOUNTER
            • vtoNmeet, be exposed to
          • so as to observe> LOOK
            • vtoNlook down in the direction of, overlook
            • so as to administrate> GOVERN
              • vtoNperfectivedeal with administratively; deal with effectively; come to be in effective control of, dominate; take spiritual charge of
        • what one is going towards> FUTURE
      • 臨 lìn (OC: b-rɯms MC: lim) 良鴆切 去 廣韻：【哭臨又偏向良鴆切又音林二 】
        • WEEP
          • viactwail en groupe as part of public mourning read: lin4

        Additional information about 臨

        說文解字:  【臨】，監臨也。 〔小徐本無「也」。〕 从臥、品聲。 【力尋切】

          Criteria
        • ENCOUNTER

          1. The current general word for having once encountered, actively tried or experienced something is cháng 嘗 and this word often feels more like an adverbial particle than a verb of experience.

          2. Yù 遇 refers to having been exposed to something (often something positive) by coincidence.

          3. Féng 逢 seems to be a dialect word synonymous with yù 遇, a word which it came to replace at later stages of the language as the standard word.

          4. Zāo 遭 refers to running into something (often something negative).

          5. Fàn 犯 refers to a deliberate encounter and to the facing up to what is encountered with energy and vigour.

          6. Lín 臨 refers to facing something with calm dignity and self-control.

        • WEEP

          1. The current general word for weeping as a spontaneous reaction is qì 泣.

          2. Kū 哭 (ant. xiào 笑 "laugh") refers primarily to the (often ritualised) act of lamentation and wailing which may or may not be accompanied by the shedding of tears, and the word is never used to refer to refer to a spontaneous breaking into tears. (Note HNZ: 其哭哀而無聲 )

          3. Háo 號 refers to noisy ritual wailing with no suggestion of any shedding of tears.

          4. Tí 啼 refers to plaintive long-drawn wailing.

          5. Tì 涕 focusses specifically on the shedding of tears, but there is often an admixture of snivel.

          6. Lìn 臨 refers to wailing, possibly accompanied by weeping, en groupe on the occasion of someone's death.

        • APPROACH

          [DRAMATIC]/[UNDRAMATIC]

          [ELEVATED/VULGAR]

          [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

          [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

          [LITERAL/TRANSFERRED]

          1. The most current general word for approaching or getting close to anything is jìn 近 (ant. yuàn 遠 "remove oneself far from").

          [GENERAL], [LITERAL!]

          2. Jí 即 and jiù 就 (all ant. lí 離 "leave, move away from") refer neutrally to moving close to a certain place.

          [GENERAL]

          3. Bó 薄 and pò 迫 refers somewhat dramatically to moving (often precariously) close to something.

          [DRAMATIC], [LITERAL]

          4. Fù 附 is to move very close up indeed to something, often getting attached to it.

          [HIGH-DEGREE], [LITERAL]

          5. Qīn 親 (NB: shū 疏 is not used as an antonym for this meaning.) refers primarily to moving intimately close to something.

          [ELEVATED], [TRANSFERRED!]

          6. Lín 臨 is often used in ways characteristic of the dignified court style, but the word also commonly refers to getting close to a place or time in a natural course of events.

          [ELEVATED!], [GENERAL]

        • COPY

          1. The general (but rare) word for producing a copy of something written or sculpted etc, is xiě 寫 (ant.* 著 "compose" and zuò 作 "make").

          2. Mó 摹 (ant.* shū 書 "produce calligraphy") refers to making a mechanical copy of a piece of calligraphy from Han times onwards.

          3. Xí 襲 (ant.* zuò 作 "create") refers to unauthorised or unacknowledged copying, but this usage is mostly post-Buddhist.

          NB: Lín 臨 "make a close copy of a painting" is post-Buddhist (TANG).

        • 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.

          Word relations
        • Object: (APPROACH)死/DIE The dominant general word is sǐ 死 (ant. shēng 生"be alive"), and this can refer to the death of plants as well as animals or men.
        • Synon: (GOVERN)治/GOVERN The general word for governing, administering or ordering things is zhì 治, old reading chí.