Taxonomy of meanings for 麟:　　

Additional information about 麟

說文解字:

Criteria
• PATRIOTISM
  

  The modern keyword 愛國 "patriotic" has an interesting history in China from ZGC-times onwards. 愛國心 "patriotism" comes in a poem by 汪懋麟 quoted in HYDCD.

• MYTHICAL ANIMALS
  

  1. Sìlíng 四靈 is a general term for four supernational creatures: dragon lóng 龍, tiger hǔ 虎, phoenix fènghuáng 風凰, and turtle guī 龜. The main source for names of various mythical creatures is the SHJ, with its splendid illustrations.

  2. Lóng 龍 is the most divine of all mythical animals. The dragon brings a happiness and good fortune, and an emperor is viewed as its embodiment.

  3. Jiāo 蛟 is a flood dragon, a mythical creature capable of invoking storms and floods. Also written 鮫.

  4. Shé 蛇 (snake) was worshipped in ancient times. The supernational creature of the north, xuánwǔ 玄武 is depicted as a turtle with a snake, and creators of humankind, Fúxī 伏羲 and Nǚwā 女媧 have both snake tails. The dragon was often viewed as a kind of snake.

  5. Guī 龜 (turtle) is one of the four supernatural creatures. It symbolizes a longevity and good fortune. The turtle was often used in divination and sacrifices, and its images appears as a base of the stelae.

  6. Fènghuáng 風凰 (phoenix) is one of the four supernatural creations, the most elevated of all birds. It symbolizes happiness, good omen, and peace.

  7. Qílín 麒麟 (mythical unicorn) is one of the four supernatural creations. It is a symbol of an extreme humanity of a king or emperor, as well as good fortune and a peace.

  8. Bìxié 辟邪 is a mythical animal resembling a deer with two long horns and a long tail which can expel evil influences.

• MONEY
  

  1. Probably the most current term for money is qián 錢, but the word became current only in Han times. The word originally referred to the agricultural implement similar to or identical with bù 布 (see below). In the Warring States period, the term was together with bù 布 used for spade-like coins. Later, it began to refer to round money casted by the Qin dynasty, and in Han times it became a current general word for money.

  2. Bì 幣 referred originally to the silk which could be used for sacrifice or as a gift. In the Warring States period, the term refer to precious things (jades, horses) often used as a gift. In Han times, the word was used like a general term for money.

  3. Dāo bù 刀布 could be used like a general term for money in the Warring States period.

  4. Bù 布 refers to the bronze coins cast in the shape of bù 布 (spade-like implement in ancient China). The earliest exemplars (of remarkably large size and with hollow handle) are known from the states of Jin and Zhou and dates from the end of the sixth century B.C.. During the following Warring States period, this type of coin (usually with a flat handle) was in use particularly in the states of Wei, Han and Zhao, but also in Chu. The coins were usually inscribed with the name of a state or city where they were cast. After Qin unification, bù 布 came out of use, but they were revived for a short time during the reign of the Wang Mang's Xin dynasty.

  5. Dāo 刀 refers to the bronze knife-like coins. They came into use slightly later than bù 布 coins, and were cast particularly in the eastern states of Yan, Qi, but also Zhao. Some exemplars survived till the early Han dynasty; later, shape-like coins were revived for two years (7 - 9 A.D.) by Wang Mang. These knife-like coins from the end of the Western Han dynasty were called cuò dāo 錯刀.

  6. Bèi 貝 originally referred to the cauri shells which were in Shang and Western Zhou times used like primitive money or like a gift. For this purpose, they were joined to péng 朋, consisting of two strings of shells, five pieces each. In the Warring States period, the word also referred to the bronze coins in the shape of cauri which were in use in the state of Chu.

  7. Huán 圜 refers to the round coin with a square hole in a centre which was cast by the states of Qin and Zhou. After Qin unification, it became general currency for a whole empire.

  8. Yuán 爰 refers to the rectangular pieces of gold which were used like money in the state of Chu. It is the earliest golden currency in China.

  9. Bàn liǎng 半兩 refers to the round coin with a central square hole which was for the first time cast by the state of Qin in the late Warring States period and which was then in use till the second half of the second century B.C.. The coin should weight half of liǎng 兩 (i.e. 12 zhū 銖 ), and this weight was recorded in an inscription on the coin; hence the name. In fact, coins of this type known from Qin and early Han times are of very various height; in early Han times, most current were coins weighting four zhu 銖.

  10. Wǔ zhū 五銖 refers to a round coin with a square hole weighting five zhū 銖 which was for the first time cast under Emperor Wudi in 118 B.C. and was then in use during the whole Han dynasty (with a short break about the time of Wang Mang's reign).

  11. Mǎ tí 馬蹄, lù tí 鹿蹄, huán tí 圜蹄, and lín zhǐ 麟趾 are various terms referring to the pieces of gold formed into the shape of horse's, deer's, or qí lín's 麒麟 hoof. This kind of currency was in use under the Han dynasty.

  12. Dà quán 大泉, xiǎo quán 小泉, zhuāng quán 壯泉, xuán quán 玄泉 are all round coins of various size dating from Wang Mang's reign.

  13. Pí bì 皮幣 refers to the money made of deer skin which were in use in the reign of Emperor Wudi (141 - 87 B.C.).

Word relations
• Epithet: (MYTHICAL ANIMALS)遊 / 游/TRAVEL Yóu 遊／游 refers specifically to travelling for pleasure. 1 Attribution