Taxonomy of meanings for 貶:　　

  • 貶 biǎn (OC: promʔ MC: pɯiɛm) 方斂切 上 廣韻：【損也方斂切二 】
    • BANISH
      • vtoNpassivebe (demoted and) banished to
    • CRITICISE
      • vt(oN)disapprove of a contextually determinate person; express disapproval
      • vtoNspeak of in a negative manner
      • nabactmoral criticismCH
    • DEMOTE
      • vtoN{PLACE}passivebe demoted to Npl
      • vtoNdrive out of office and demote to lower office
      • vtoNN=officedegrade the official rank (of someone) (probably NOT vtt!)
      • vtt(oN1.)+N2appoint the contextually determinate N1 to the position N2
    • DESPISE
      • vtoNpsychdespise; declare to be of low value
    • REDUCE
      • viprocessbecome less
      • vtoNreduce the amount or abstract extent of
    • PUT

      Additional information about 貶

      說文解字: 【貶】，損也。从貝、从乏。 〔小徐本作「從貝、從乏聲。」〕 【方斂切】

        Criteria
      • PRAISE

        1. The current general word for praise is yù 譽 (ant. huǐ 毀 "speak ill of"), and the word often refers to straightforward objective praise rather than eulogy..

        2. Chēng 稱 (ant. bang 謗 "speak ill of behind his back") refers to "honourable mentioning" in public contexts and favourable public assessment of someone.

        3. Bāo 褒 (ant. biǎn 貶 "make derogatory remarks about") refers to a person with a certain authority passing a positive judgment on someone.

        4. Jiā 嘉 (ant. sǔn 損 "make belittling remarks about") refers to commending someone for a certain action or for past behaviour.

        5. Zàn 讚／贊 "eulogise" (ant. dǐ 詆 "speak ill of") refers to lyrical, typically exaggerated and overly enthusiastic praise.

        6. Sòng 頌 (ant. zhòu 咒 "make calumniatory remarks about") refers literally to the singing of someone's praises, but as in English, the praising thus described may actually be in ornate prose.

        7. Měi 美 and shàn 善 (all ant. wù 惡 "speak ill of") refer to the bringing out of positive, admirable or morally commendable aspects in something or someone through discourse.

        8. Yáng 揚 (ant. yì 抑 "do down") refers to the spreading of the good name of someone or something.

      • BANISH

        [BASIC/MARGINAL]

        [CURRENT/RARE]

        [DRAMATIC/UNDRAMATIC]

        [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

        [LASTING/TEMPORARY]

        1. The main general word is fàng 放 (ant. huán 還 "reinstate as a citizen and inhabitant of a country"), which refers to any official act of removing a person from his permanent abode for a certain time, or in perpetuity.

        [LASTING], [OFFICIAL]

        2. Chū 出 refers abstractly to the act of causing someone to leave a territory.

        [GENERAL], [MARGINAL]

        3. Zhú 逐 refers informally and more dramatically to the action of driving away someone not necessarily on the basis of an official or legal decision.

        [DRAMATIC]

        4. Qū 軀 is a dramatic term for the removal of a person or animal from one's presence.

        [DRAMATIC+], [MARGINAL]; [[RARE]]

        5. Chù 黜, biǎn 貶 and zhé 謫 "banish from office (and remove to lower office)" (ant. zhuó 擢 "appoint to a higher position") are perhaps marginal in this group, but these common bureaucratic term describing the demotion of a person from his position and often his banishment from the court. See DEMOTE.

        [OFFICIAL]

      • APPOINT

        [FORMAL/INFORMAL]

        [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

        [IMPOLITE/POLITE]

        [TECHNICAL-TERM/CURRENT-WORD]

        1. Bài 拜 (ant. biǎn 貶 "demote to a lower position in the hierarchy at court") refers formally and bureaucratically to a high appointment at court.

        [POLITE], [SPECIFIED]; [vtt!]

        2. Shì 仕 (ant. chù 黜 "remove from office") describes a position below the top echelon in pre-Qín times, but came to refer to the highest kinds of appointment in Hàn times.

        [FORMAL], [GENERAL]

        3. Huàn 宦 is rarer, refers originally to the position of a menial servant, but became basically synonymous with shì 仕, except that huàn 宦 normally refers to positions held at court.

        [SPECIFIC], [FORMAL]

        4. Wéi 為 "make into" is a neutral informal term which does not primarily refer to the formal investment or any transferring of the insignia of office.

        [GENERAL], [INFORMAL]

        5. Xiàng 相 is used in a derived sense for an appointment to a specific high position, that of Prime Minister.

        [FORMAL], [SPECIFIC+]

        6. Shǔ 署 is a Hàn dynasty technical buraucratic term.

        [FORMAL], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

        7. Mìng 命 refers specifically to the conferment of the title which goes with an official appointment.

        [FORMAL], [CURRENT-WORD]

        8. 委

        9. 授

        Word relations
      • Ant: (CRITICISE)褒/PRAISE Bāo 褒 (ant. biǎn 貶 "make derogatory remarks about") refers to a person with a certain authority passing a positive judgment on someone.
      • Ant: (REDUCE)增 / 曾/INCREASE Zēng 增 (ant. shǎo 少 "beocme less") typically refers to concrete or material increase of something.
      • Assoc: (DEMOTE)黜 / 絀 / 詘/DEMOTE
      • Assoc: (CRITICISE)譏/CRITICISE Jī 譏 is part of the historian's standard repertoire and refers typically to historian's censure of the behaviour of historical personalities.
      • Synon: (REDUCE)少/REDUCE Shǎo 少 is used to refer to the reducing the number of things. See FEW