Taxonomy of meanings for 哀:　　

  • āi (OC: qɯɯl MC: ʔəi) 烏開切 平 廣韻：【悲哀也又姓漢有哀章烏開切六 】
    • MOURNING
      • nabactmourning
      • v[adN]person in mourning 一哀
      • vadNmourning (person) 哀子"mourning son"
      • vt(oN)grief for a contextually determinate person; vocally and publically display commendable and genuine grief about something other than death; feel and show commendable deep sadness
      • viactgrieve demonstratively; show the proper grief of someone bereaved
      • vtoNshow one's grief about something as a sign of mourning
      • vtoNpassivebe mourned for with genuine grief
      • generalised> GRIEF
        • nab.post-V{NUM}bout of grief 一哀
        • nabpsychdeeply felt comendable grief; proper grief
        • nabsituationgrievous state of affairs
        • vadNgrief-stricken 哀色
        • vadVgrievingly; in lamentation
        • vibe (or sound) mournful or grief-stricken; show genuine feelings of grief 哭之哀 "lamented for him and show real grief" is idiomatic, and it is tempting to think of this āi 哀 as adverbial, although there is nothing to prove the point
        • visubj=nonhumanbe expressive of grief
        • vt(oN)feel grief with respect to
        • vtoNfeel grief concerning
        • vtoNcausativecause (someone) to be stricken by grief
        • vtoNPab{S}be sad about, grieve about
        • v[adN]a grievous matterCH
        • vt+prep+Nbe agrieved by, find tragicCH
        • NPabpsychgrief in general, all kinds of grief
        • VPtoNmourn for, grieve overLZ
        • visubject=nonhumanbe grievous, lamentable (of state of affairs)LZ
        • grammaticalised: ALAS
          • specific, grieve with> CONSOLE
            • vtoNcondole with
            • specific> CONSOLE
              • vtoNcondole with
          • generalised> WORRY
            • nccintense worry
            • viworry intensely
            • vtoNPab{S}consider as grievous and sad (a matter of the past or the present)
            • psychological, specific> SYMPATHY
              • nabpsychsympathy
              • vt(oN)show compassion for the contextually determinate N
              • vtoNstativefeel sympathy and compassion for; feel deep concern for
              • vtoNPab{S}have sympathy in connection with the fact that S
              • generalised: be fond of> LIKE
                • vtoNbe fond of 各哀其所生 "all are fond of what they are born from"

      Additional information about 哀

      說文解字: 【哀】，閔也。从口、衣聲。 【烏開切】

        Criteria
      • GRIEF

        1. The current general word for deep sorrow is āi 哀 (ant. lè 樂 "profound joy"), and this word refers to an inner state of mind that typically finds expression in ritualised action, and the feeling is prototypically directed not at bereavement as such but at a deceaed person.

        2. Tòng 慟 refers to an excessive display of grief.

        3. Yōu 憂 "worry" (ant. xǐ 喜 "joy") can occasionally come to refer to intense worry with a strong admixture of grief, and this usage must be regarded as a polite periphrasis. (For the main meaning of this word see WORRY.)

        4. Bēi āi 悲哀 is a common abstract and dignified way of referring to grief.

        5. A4o nǎo 懊惱 is a common vernacular way of referring to grief, which became especially common in Buddhist literature.

      • SYMPATHY

        1. The standard word for sympathy and commiseration in psychological attitude as well as in action is xù 恤 / 卹 (ant. rěn 忍 "heartless").

        2. Mǐn 閔／憫 (ant. cán 殘 "cruel and heartless") is a purely psychological word referring to feelings of deep concern and sympathy, often coupled with sadness and a desire to act to improve things. See also SADNESS

        3. Jīn 矜 expresses, apparently, a somewhat higher intensity in the purely psychological feelings of sympathy.

        4. Āi 哀 refers to passive concern for what one unfortunately can do little about.

        5. Lián 憐 refers to sympathy as loving warm concern and a wish to show this loving concern in action.

      • MOURNING

        1. The most general current word is sāng 喪 which embraces all phases and aspects of complex process of mourning in ancient China.

        2. Diào 弔 / 吊 (ant. qìng 慶 "congratulate") is to publicly express one's sorrow on the occasion of the death of someone outside one's own immedidate family.

        3. Dào 悼 is to publicly bemoan any major disaster regarding a person, including serious disease or serious accidents.

        4. Kū 哭 (ant. xiào 笑 "laugh with joy") is often used as a generalised verb referring to participation in all sorts of mourning rituals and activities.

        5. Āi 哀 refers to engaging in mourning primarily for a near relative, but the word also has common extending meanings where it extends to any kind of grief. See GRIEF.

      • ALAS

        [DECLARATIVE/EXCLAMATORY]

        [EMOTIONAL/UNEMOTIONAL]

        [EMPHATIC/UNEMPHATIC]

        [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

        1. Wū hū 嗚呼 / 於乎 / 於呼 expresses an emphatic complaint. Note that there is is specially large number of graphic variants used to write this word.

        [EMOTIONAL], [EXCLAMATORY], [HIGH-DEGREE]

        2. A1i zāi 哀哉 adds to the complaint the judgment that something is indeed sad.

        [DECLARATIVE], [EMPHATIC]

      • WORRY

        1. The current general term for all sorts of troubled states of mind, as well as reasons for such states of mind, is yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "be well pleased" and lè 樂 "feel deep joy"), and this word may freely refer to troublesome matters of the present or of the future, and the word typiccally refers to a termporary state of hightened awareness of what is troublesome and concern about what should be done about it.

        2. Lu �慮 (ant. wàng 忘 "refuse to think about, ignore") refers to active reflection upon what one is worried about.

        3. Fán 煩 (ant. jìng 靜 "feel completely at peace") refers to a passive reaction of unsettled anxiousness about something other than oneself.

        4. Zào 躁 (ant. dìng 定 "be well-settled and unruffled") refers to the state of being flustered, restless and upset by worries.

        5. Jí 急 (ant. ān 安 "feel comfortable") refers to urgent and particularly acute temporary worries about something present or immediately imminent.

        6. Jí 疾 (ant. níng 寧 "feel at peace") refers to intense and profound worries about something present (and these worries may or may not be lasting).

        7. Huàn 患 (ant. lè 樂 "feel deeply happy with") refers to intense worry or concern about the possible future effects of something or the possibility of events in the future.

        8. Āi 哀 (ant. lè 樂 "feel perfectly happy with"), when it refers to intense worry rather than grief, connotes despondency and hopelessness and not just worry over possibilities.

        9. Chóu 愁 (ant. yuè 說／悅 "feel pleased"), and the rarer poetic sāo 騷, qiǎo 悄, tì 惕 refer to various shades and degrees of poetically conceived anxiousness.

        10. Shì 事 (ant. zhì 治 "well-ordered situation") can refer to the kinds of matters or affairs that cause one to be anxious or worried.

      • WEEP

        1. The current general word for weeping as a spontaneous reaction is qì 泣.

        2. Kū 哭 (ant. xiào 笑 "laugh") refers primarily to the (often ritualised) act of lamentation and wailing which may or may not be accompanied by the shedding of tears, and the word is never used to refer to refer to a spontaneous breaking into tears. (Note HNZ: 其哭哀而無聲 )

        3. Háo 號 refers to noisy ritual wailing with no suggestion of any shedding of tears.

        4. Tí 啼 refers to plaintive long-drawn wailing.

        5. Tì 涕 focusses specifically on the shedding of tears, but there is often an admixture of snivel.

        6. Lìn 臨 refers to wailing, possibly accompanied by weeping, en groupe on the occasion of someone's death.

      • DELIGHT

        1. The general current word referring to the purely psychological notion of a transitory or temporary feeling of pleasure or delight is yuè 悅 (ant. yùn 慍 "feel intensely dissatisfied with, feel offended by").

        2. The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY

        3. Xǐ 喜 (ant. yōu 憂 "worry") is openly manifested delight, manifested in an individual, visible to all, but not normally of any profound significance.

        4. Huān 歡 (ant. bēi 悲 "sadness" and chóu 愁 "worried sadness") refers to sociable temporary high spirits, not only visible to many but normally shared by a group.

        5. Kuài 快 refers to momentary elation related to or intense satisfaction with a concrete situation.

        6. Xīn 欣 refers to grateful delight in what is designed to gratify one's desires.

        7. Yú 娛 is often causative "give pleasure to", and when intransitive the word refers to a mild feeling of well-being and gratification, very close to yú 愉 "mild delight".

        8. Yí 怡 refers to a kind of open unhidden dignified satisfaction.

        Word relations
      • Ant: (GRIEF)樂/DELIGHT The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY
      • Ant: (GRIEF)樂/DELIGHT The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY
      • Ant: (GRIEF)笑/LAUGH The clearly predominant word for smiling and laughing is xiào 笑 which refers to any laughter, loud or quiet, kind or unkind.
      • Epithet: (GRIEF)喪/MOURNING The most general current word is sāng 喪 which embraces all phases and aspects of complex process of mourning in ancient China.
      • Contrast: (GRIEF)傷/DISTRESS Shāng 傷 (ant. yuè 悅) refers to lasting psychological distress.
      • Assoc: (SYMPATHY)憐/SYMPATHY Lián 憐 refers to sympathy as loving warm concern and a wish to show this loving concern in action.
      • Assoc: (MOURNING)悲/SAD The general word for sadness of any kind is bēi 悲 (ant. huān 歡 "joyful" and xǐ 喜 "delighted").
      • Relat: (GRIEF)喪/BURY Sāng 喪 is a common-use ritual term for funeral arrangements.