Additional information about 霑
說文解字: 【霑】，雨𩃵也。从雨、沾聲。 【張廉切】
- Criteria
- GENEROUS
1. Probably the most general word for generosity is huì 惠 (ant. sè 嗇 "stingy, ungenerous"), and this refers to any kind of emotional as well as material munificence by a person of superior status.
2. Hòu 厚 (ant. báo 薄 "less than ample") refers to generosity of treatment which is not necessarily directed towards inferiors.
3. Shī 施 focuses on the very activity involved in generous treatment of others, and the subject of this activitiy is normally a person of superior status.
4. E!n 恩 (ant. chóu 仇 "hostile attitude") refers primarily to an attitude or disposition (typically on the part of a person of superior status) to be generous.
5. Dé 德 and the rarer zé 澤 refer to graceful and spiritually inspiring munificence, typically from a person of supremely high status.
6. Kuān 寬 and the rarer guǎng 廣 can refer to a general disposition towards non-narrow and broadly directed generosity.
7. Zhān 霑 refers to receiving the benefits of generosity and is thus marginal in this group, and the word is rare.
NB: Kāng kǎi 慷慨 refers to generousity with one's resources, but the usage is first attested in Ming novels.
- MOIST
1. Shī 濕 refers to wetness as a property of surface or of the whole object.
2. The current common word is rú 濡, and this word refers to being wet through and through.
3. Zhān 沾 / 霑 refers to moistening by rain.
4. Rùn 潤 refers to things that are mildly moistened (and look glossy).
5. Jiàn 漸 refers to things getting gradually moistened.
6. Wò 渥 is a poetic referring to something being wet on the outside.
7. Jìn 浸 refers to water seeping into something so as to make it moist, and the word focusses not on something getting wet, but on the water seeping into it. The word is thus marginal in the group.