Taxonomy of meanings for 吞:  

  • 吞 tūn (OC: lʰɯɯn MC: tʰən) 吐根切 平 廣韻:【咽也吐根切又音天一 】
    • ANNEX
      • vtoNfigurative[BE GULPED UP>] get annexed [NO EX SO FAR!]
      • vtoNfigurative[GULP UP>] annex
    • EAT
      • vtoNeat raw, eat uncooked
    • SWALLOW
      • vt(oN)swallow the contextually determinate N
      • vtoNgulp down (of liquids); swallow (food, or even a pearl); be large enough to be able to swallow
    • CONTAIN
      • ENDURE
        • CONQUER
          • STUPID
          • 吞 tiān (OC: lʰiin MC: tʰen) 他前切 平 廣韻:【姓也漢有吞景雲又湯門切 】

            Additional information about 吞

            說文解字: 【吞】,咽也。从口、天聲。 【土根切】 〔小徐本此字次於「㗘」字之後。〕

              Criteria
            • SWALLOW

              1. The most general word is yàn 嚥 / 咽 which refers to any act of swallowing, fast or slow, eager or relaxed.

              2. Tūn 吞 (ant. tǔ 吐 "gulp up") is to gulp down eagerly, typically in large chunks.

              3. Xiá 呷 is a very rare word apparently referring to sucking and swallowing.

            • ANNEX

              [BASIC/DERIVED]

              [CURRENT/RARE]

              [DEROGATORY/COMMENDATORY]

              [DRAMATIC/UNDRAMATIC]

              [+FIG/LITERAL]

              [FORMAL/INFORMAL]

              [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

              [TRANSITORY/LASTING]

              1. Jiān 兼 "annex" (ant. gē 割 (incidentally, anciently homophone of modern English "cut"!!!) "to cut off") is the neutral word used by the historian to record the facts without bias.

              [FORMAL], [GENERAL]

              2. Tūn 吞 "gulp up and annex" is metaphorical in nature, and pejorative as well as dramatic in force.

              [DERIVED], [DEROGATORY], [DRAMATIC], [INFORMAL]; [[RARE]]

              3. Bìng 并 "annex" (ant. fēn 分 "separate into two") is less formal, and is the commonest of the three.

              [GENERAL], [INFORMAL]

              4. Bìng 並 "annex" (ant. fēn 分 "separate into two") is sometimes used synonymously with bìng 并 but is not anciently homophonous with it, and the word is particularly current in the meaning of "together". See TOGETHER [NB: what confuses the situation is a great deal of printer's confusion in entering these different words, greatly exacerbatged by the problem of computerisation.]

              [GENERAL], [INFORMAL]

              5. Yǒu 有 can come to refer to the more or less lasting result of the process of annexation. See GOVERN(INCHOATIVE)

              [COMMENDATORY], [FORMAL], [INCHOATIVE], [LASTING], [STATE]

              6. Jù 據 can refer to the more or less lasting the result of the process of annexation.

              [LASTING], [RESULT], [STATE]; [[RARE]]

              7. Qǔ 取 refers to successful annexation, typically of a city.

              Word relations
            • Contrast: (SWALLOW)咽 / 嚥/SWALLOW The most general word is yàn 嚥/咽 which refers to any act of swallowing, fast or slow, eager or relaxed.
            • Contrast: (EAT)服/EAT Fú 服 ingest or imbibe for a purpose, typical a medical purpose.
            • Assoc: (ANNEX)並/ANNEX Bìng 並 "annex" (ant. fēn 分 "separate into two") is sometimes used synonymously with bìng 并 but is not anciently homophonous with it, and the word is particularly current in the meaning of "together". See TOGETHER [NB: what confuses the situation is a great deal of printer's confusion in entering these different words, greatly exacerbatged by the problem of computerisation.] [GENERAL], [INFORMAL]
            • Assoc: (EAT)食/EAT The general word is shí 食 which refers to any form of taking in food, but the word is probably primarily a noun meaning "food". Cf. 飯疏食 "dine on coarse food".