Taxonomy of meanings for 術:　　

  • 術 shù (OC: ɢljud MC: ʑʷit) 食聿切 入 廣韻：【技術説文曰邑中道也又姓食聿切十一 】
    • (in city, street)WAY
      • nroad
      • in water>CANAL
        • abstract>METHOD
          • nab.post-V{NUM}methodprofessional method; professional technique; professional competence; consciously cultivated method of conducting one's affairs, "philosophy"
          • nabmathematical termCHEMLA 2003: mathematical procedure, a term which in Song-Yuan mathematical texts came to be replaced by 法 "method". The expression 算術 "mathematical procedure" makes explicit how 術 alone is understood throughout JZ. 術曰 regularly specifies a well-defined mathematical procedure. Some of these procedures have technical terms referring to them. E.g. 今有術 refers to a general procedure involving multiplication first, and then division, and while the order of these operations makes no difference regarding the mathematical results, the 術 definitely prescribes one order rather than the other.There are contexts in which 術 are specified with reference to the elements in the mathematical problems themselves which are in fact not repeated in the technical description of the 術. Thus, in such cases, the discourse describing these procedures 術 is embedded in the wider discourse of the text. They do not, then constitute instructions that may be properly understood outside the context in which they are proposed.On the other hand, certain procedures are in fact introduced and discussed outside the context of any given problem (as is the case for 今有術 ). These latter instances show that Chinese mathematicians had an interest in mathematical procedures as such, and not only in the pragmatic context of specific problem solution.JZ, Liu Hui's Preface, ed. Guo p. 178 因木望山之術 "the procedure relating to the problem of looking up a mountain relying on a tree". 於徽術 refers primarily to a procedure as defined by the commentator Liu Hui. However, there are instances where the reference is not to the procedure as such but to the numerical constants arrived at by Liu Hui. (It is worth noting how Liu Hui proudly personalises his dicourse about these constants.)JZ 5.11 為術之意 "the idea behind making the procedure" is a current phrase which indicates that procedures have two separate aspects: 1. they must predictably yield correct results; 2. they must realise an underlying mathematical 意 "idea, reasoning". Thus traditional Chinese mathematics were NOT satisfied when an opaque procedure appeared to yield the correct mathematical results, but routinely required the procedure itself to be a realisation of an underlying mathematical idea one had when constructing ( 為 ) the procedure.
          • nadNprofessional, properly qualified
          • viacttransmit or present one's method/philosophy (????)
          • nab.post-Vproper technique, proper method of V-ingCH
          • nabmethodtechnique; appropriate methods; methodology; artCH
          • nab.post-Ntechnique; appropriate methods; methodology; artTWH
          • nadVmethodically，systematically, using a definite techniqueCH
          • professional>CRAFT
            • nabdispositionskill, craft
            • explicit>DOCTRINE
              • nab.post-Ntextdoctrines, philosophyCH
              • related action>CONFORM
                • vtoNto abide by N (very probably originally putative "to consider N the right way" and/or cognate if not identical with 述)LZ
              • intellectual conative>STUDY
                • object person>IMITATE
              • politicalGOVERN
                • nab.post-V{NUM}methodmethod of government, art of government, statecraft; political philosophy, philosophy of government; professional skill in government
                • nabmethod of government, art of government, professional skill in governmentDS
              • concrete future>PLAN
            • =述

            Additional information about 術

            說文解字: 【術】，邑中道也。从行、朮聲。 【食聿切】

              Criteria
            • METHOD

              1. The most general word for method or technique is shù 術, and the professional technique here referred is typically publicly accessible.

              2. Fāng 方 refers to a professional and often esoteric and/or recondite skill or trick.

              3. Fǎ 法 is a regular rule-governed procedure governing the proper exercise of a skill.

              4. Dào 道 is a way of being as well as a way of doing things, and this Way may be either exoteric or esoteric.

              5. Duān 端 refers to a basic method or the important features of a method.

              學有次第而後大成 "When study has method, only then will it greatly succeed." ( 宋. 歐陽修 )

            • 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.

            • CRAFT

              1. The general word for any craft or professional skill is shù 術. See also METHOD

              2. Gōng 工 is the general term for handicrafts.

              3. Jì 技 is a general term for highly developed skills of any kind, including the professional skills. See SKILL

            • MEDITATE

              心術，內業

              Word relations
            • Contrast: (METHOD)方/METHOD Fāng 方 refers to a professional and often esoteric and/or recondite skill or trick.
            • Contrast: (METHOD)數/METHOD
            • Contrast: (METHOD)道/METHOD Dào 道 is a way of being, of functioning, as well as a way of doing things, and this Way may be either exoteric or esoteric.
            • Assoc: (METHOD)法/METHOD Fǎ 法 is a regular rule-governed procedure governing the proper exercise of a skill.
            • Assoc: (METHOD)道/METHOD Dào 道 is a way of being, of functioning, as well as a way of doing things, and this Way may be either exoteric or esoteric.
            • Synon: (METHOD)數/METHOD