Taxonomy of meanings for 降:　　

Additional information about 降

說文解字: 【降】，下也。从𨸏、夅聲。 【古巷切】

Criteria
• SURRENDER
  

  1. The current general word for any form of submitting to someone or surrendering to the enemy is fú 服.

  2. Xiáng 降 refers specifically to forced, non-voluntary surrender to an enemy.

  3. Xià 下 is a neutral technical term for giving up fighting in a military context.

  4. Chéng 成 and jiǎng 講 refer to a formal process of sueing for peace.

• RISE
  

  1. The most current general word for rising or raising oneself up, or rising to an upright position of any kind is qǐ 起 (ant. jiàng 降 "go down").

  2. Shēng 升 (ant. xià 下 "go down") refers specifically to the rising of something to a higher level, and these levels can be but do not have to be the ranks of a hierarchy.

  3. Jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "be demoted") refers specifically to the rising in the ranks of a hierarchy.

  4. Jìn 晉 is a very formal term referring to the rising of something in the ranks of a hierarchy.

• WEATHER
  

  There is no commonly used general concept for the weather in pre-Buddhist Chinese. The closest we come is perhaps qì 氣 as in ZUO 天有六氣, but consider the whole passage:

  天有六氣， (In the same way) there are six heavenly influences,

  降生五味， which descend and produce the five tastes,

  發為五色， go forth in the five colours,

  徵為五聲。 and are verified in the five notes;

  淫生六疾。 but when they are in excess, they produce the six diseases.

  六氣曰陰、陽、風、雨、晦、明也， Those six influences are denominated the yin, the yang, wind, rain, obscurity, and brightness.

  分為四時， In their separation, they form the four seasons;

  序為五節， in their order, they form the five (elementary) terms.

  過則為菑： When any of them is in excess, there ensues calamity.

  陰淫寒疾， An excess of the yin leads to diseases of the cold;

  陽淫熱疾， of the yang, to diseases of heat;

  風淫末疾， of wind, to diseases of the extremities;

  雨淫腹疾， of rain, to diseases of the belly;

  晦淫惑疾， of obscurity, to diseases of delusion;

  明淫心疾。 of brightness to diseases of the mind.

• DESCEND
  

  1. The current word for descending is jiàng 降 (ant. shēng 升 "ascend", dēng 登 "ascend").

  2. Xià 下 (ant. shàng 上 "ascend") sometimes refers colourlessly to something moving downwards.

• PROMOTE
  

  1. The specific general term for bureaucratic promotion is the not very common zhuó 擢 (ant. chù 黜 "demote").

  2. The most current general-use words for raising the status of someone are jǔ 舉 (ant. jiàng 降 "lower the rank of") and jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "demote").

  3. Bá 拔 (ant. miǎn 免 "dismiss without necessarily removing from the hierarchy altogether") and qiān 遷 (ant. chū 出 "remove and transfer to a lower position") are standard bureaucratic terms for promotion in office.

  4. Chāo 超 refers specifically to raising someone by more than one level at the time, and this bureaucratic term became current in Han times.

• ASCEND
  

  [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

  [[BASIC/DERIVED]]

  [DIFFICULT/EASY]

  [ELEVATED/VULGAR]

  [+FIG/LITERAL]

  1. Shēng 升 (ant. jiàng 降 "descend") is perhaps the most general word dedicated to the meaning of "going up", and the word often has a literary, dignified flavour.

  [GENERAL]; [[BASIC]], [[CURRENT]]

  2. Shàng 上 (ant. xià 下 "descend"), on the basis of the general meaning "above", comes to refer to the moving to the position on top of or above something else, and the word has no elevated literary flavour.

  [GENERAL]; [[CURRENT]], [[DERIVED]]

  3. Dēng 登 refers to one entering a vehicle or moving onto a higher surface of any kind, typically (but not always) in a dignified manner.

  [ELEVATED!]; [[CURRENT+]]

  4 Pān 攀 refers to an arduous movement across difficult terrain to a higher position, supporting oneself by objects that one can hold on to as one is moving upwards.

  [DIFFICULT+], [LITERAL]; [[BASIC]], [[CURRENT]]

  5. Yuán 緣 refers to an often arduous movement in difficult "terrain" and guided by certain features of that terrain.

  [DIFFICULT]; [[DERIVED]]

  6. Chéng 乘 refers to the mounting of a vehicle, specifically.

  [SPECIFIC]; [[CURRENT]]

  7. Jī 躋 refers to ascending a burial mound as part of ritual.

  [ARCHAIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

  8. Zhì 陟 "poetic: scale a mountain" (ant. jiàng 降 "descend") is a rare archaising words with highly restricted usage.

  [ARCHAIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

  9. Jí 即 (ant.* xùn 遜 "resign a ruler's position", or perhaps also shàn 禪 "resign the throne") is always metaphorically "ascend (the throne)".

  [SPECIFIC]; [[CURRENT]], [[DERIVED]]

Word relations
• Ant: (DESCEND)登/ASCEND Dēng 登 refer to one entering a vehicle or moving onto a higher surface of any kind, typically (but not always) in a dignified manner. [ELEVATED!]; [[CURRENT]]
• Ant: (DESCEND)上/ASCEND Shàng 上 (ant. xià 下 "descend"), on the basis of the general meaning "above", comes to refer to the moving to the position on top of or above something else. [GENERAL]; [[CURRENT]], [[DERIVED]] 1 Attribution
• Ant: (FALL)升/RISE Shēng 升 (ant. xià 下 "go down") refers specifically to the rising of something to a higher level, and these levels can be but do not have to be the ranks of a hierarchy. 1 Attribution
• Ant: (DESCEND)騰/FLY Téng 騰 refers to the soaring high up into the sky, typically of big and impressive creatures like birds and dragons. 1 Attribution
• Ant: (DESCEND)陟/ASCEND Zhì 陟 "poetic: scale a mountain" (ant. jiàng 降"descend") are rare archaising words with highly restricted usage. [ARCHAIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]
• Assoc: (FALL)下/FALL
• Assoc: (DESCEND)集/SIT Jí 集 refers to birds settling in a certain place, often but not always in a flock.