Taxonomy of meanings for 養:　　

  • 養 yǎng (OC: laŋʔ MC: jiɐŋ) 廣韻：餘兩切 上【育也樂也飾也字從羊食又姓孝子傳有養奮餘兩切七 】
    • REAR
      • nabactproper care
      • vishow a caring attitude
      • vt(oN)omcare properly for a contextually determinate N
      • vtoNnurture, nourish, bring up, rear, take good care of, provide for; provide for the needs of; maintain, provide a maintenance allowance for
      • vtoNfigurativenourish (the soul, one's in-born nature, the spirits/gods); take good care of (soldiers etc); look after
      • vtoNpassivebe reared
      • vtoNfigurative(of abstract things) be nourished or properly cultivated
      • vtoNreflexive.自nourish (oneself)
      • vtoN1.adN2passivereared
      • vadNpassivebeing reared 養兒 "baby being (breast-)fed
      • vt1oN1.-vt2oN2resultativerear N1 into N2DS
      • abstract> CARE FOR
        • vtoNtake good care ofCH
        • protectively> SAFEGUARD
          • restitute> CURE
            • vtoNnurse back to health
            • social> SUPPORT
                • concrete> GIVE
                  • vtoNgive to as a means of support living expenses; give as a present to keep someone near one
          • abstact> CULTIVATE
            • vtoNfigurativecultivate (a mentality, connections etc)
            • vadNpassivecultivatedCH
          • means> FOOD
            • nmmeans of support, sustenance; nourishment
            • nabfigurativenurtureCH
          • 養 (OC: laŋs MC: jiɐŋ) 廣韻：餘亮切 去 【供養 】

        Additional information about 養

        說文解字: 【養】，供養也。从食、羊聲。 【余兩切】 【𢼝(䍩)】，古文養。

          Criteria
        • CULTIVATE

          1. The current general term for cultivating something or refining it is xiū 修 (from Han times onwards sometimes also miswritten as xiū 脩, ant.* màn 慢 "neglect the cultivation of").

          2. Yǎng 養 refers specifically to the systematic cultivation of higher psychosomatic competence.

          3. Lǐ 理 refers, occasionally, to a rather abstract way of cultivating a certain skill or technique.

        • REAR

          1. The current general word for rearing and/or breeding is yù 育, which can refer to animals as well as occasionally to humans, and the word belongs to a dignified stylistic layer.

          2. Xù 畜 refers primarily to the breeding of livestock, but is also used for humans under one's control and below one's status.

          3. Yǎng 養 refers primarily to the caring for and nourishing of one's parents, children or other humans one feels caring sympathy for and is only occasionally used for non-humans, although it does apply to plants like mulberry trees that need much care.

          Word relations
        • Object: (REAR)親/PARENT The current word for parents is qīn 親, and the word is always used to refer to both parents (a rare case of dualis), so that the father or mother separately are not referred to as a qīn 親.
        • Contrast: (REAR)愛/SAFEGUARD
        • Assoc: (REAR)供 / 共/FEED
        • Synon: (REAR)育/REAR The current general word for rearing and/or breeding is yù 育, which can refer to animals as well as occasionally to humans, and the word belongs to a dignified stylistic layer.
        • Oppos: (REAR)送/FAREWELL Sòng 送 (ant. yíng 迎 "go out to welcome") refers standardly to following someone some symbolic part of his way, as a standard ritual of departure.