Taxonomy of meanings for 北:　　

  • běi (OC: pɯɯɡ MC: pək) 博墨切 入 廣韻：【南北亦奔也又髙麗姓又漢複姓七氏左傳衞大夫北宫貞子莊子有北門成漢有北唐子眞治京氏易丗本云晉有髙人隱於此唐因以爲氏晏子云齊有北郭先生名騷古有北人無擇淸身絜己疾丗之濁自投淸冷之淵姓苑有北郷北野氏博墨切二 】
    • what one turns one\s back to facing south?> DIRECTION
      • nadVin the north; from the north; towards the north, northwards 北面
      • nplacenorth
      • nadNnorthern
      • viactmove northwards
      • npost-Npostpositionto the north of N; in the northern part of NDS
      • action, causative: lead northwards> LEAD
        • vtoNlead north
  • 北 bei4 《集韻》補妹切，去隊，幫。
      • =背：turn back and> FLEE
        • nabactdesertion
        • v[adN]pluralthose who are defeated and flee
        • vt(oN)allow oneself to be defeated and run away; also: desert, commit desertation
        • cause to flee> DEFEAT
          • nab.post-V{NUM}passivedefeat, loan for

      Additional information about 北

      說文解字: 【北】，乖也。从二人相背。凡北之屬皆从北。 【博墨切】

        Criteria
      • FLEE

        1. The current general word for illicit disappearance from where one has some obligation to remain is zǒu 走.

        2. Táo 逃 refers to an attempted or successful escape to a place, or from any difficult predicament (for which see AVOID), occasionally also from a person or group of persons. Thus to 逃 a state is to flee TO a state, to 逃 a predicament is to flee FROM a predicament, and to 逃 a person is to flee FROM that person.

        3. Bèi 北 is to flee during a battle engagement.

        4. Bēn 奔 is refers to absconding from a place at high speed.

        5. Dùn 遁 is to get away by simply going into hiding rather than by seeking refuge in a certain alternative place.

        6. Wáng 亡 and the much rarer sàng 喪 often refers to a dignified almost public way of leaving one place for another, especially to going into exile in order to escape danger.

        7. Yì 逸 / 佚 is to seek and find freedom through fleeing from an oppressive situation.

        8. Cuàn 竄 is primarily to sneak away, availing oneself of a narrow "window of opportunity", and going into hiding after the flight.

        NB: There is a striking number of binomes expressing flight. These need to be analysed in detail to determine their semantic nuances.

      • DIRECTION

        1. The general term for direction as defining a part of space is fāng 方.

        2. Xiāng 鄉 refers to a direction as seen from a subject.

        3. Dōng 東 "east", nán 南 "south", xī 西 "west", běi 北 are the major directions.

        4. Yáng 陽 refers to the area north of a river and south of a mountain.

        5. Yīn 陰 refers to the area south of a river and north of a mountain.

      • BARBARIAN

        1. Perhaps the most current general word for peoples who were taken not to belong to the Huáxiá 華夏 community is yí dí 夷狄, but sometimes the term refers specifically to the eastern and the northern barbarians.

        2. Jiǔ yí 九夷 is another term referring generically to the peoples who were taken not to belong to the Huáxiá 華夏 community, but more specifically to those of the East.

        3. Sì dí 四狄 is a general term for the various types of peoples that were not taken to belong the Huáxiá 華夏 community, but more specifically to those of the north. Sometimes the term wǔ yí 五夷 is used.

        4. Róngdí 戎狄 is another term referring generically to the peoples who were taken not to belong to the Huáxiá 華夏 community, but also more specifically to the western and northern barbarians.

        5. Mán yí 蠻夷 is another term referring generically to the peoples who were taken not to belong to the Huáxiá 華夏 community.

        One standard classification of non-Chinese peoples is this:

        6. Yí 夷 refers to the barbarians of the east, but the term came to be used for barbarians generally. 東方為九夷，

        7. Mán 蠻 refers specifically to the barbarians of the south. 南方為八蠻，

        8. Róng 戎 refers specifically to the barbarians of the west. 西方為六戎，

        9. Dí 狄 refers specifically to the barbarians of the north. 北方為五狄。

        In addition there is a rich vocabulary specifying various non-Chinese ethnic groups.

      • MOUNTAINS

        8. Qí shān 岐山 is located in the northeast of the modern Qishan district, Shaanxi province. It was also called Tiān zhǔ shān 天柱山 Fēnghuángduī4 風凰堆. Ancient Zhou centers were located close to this mountain. For this reason, Qí shān 岐山 is mentioned already in the Shijing.

        9. Qíliánshān 祁連山 is another name for Tiānshān 天山. This mountain range is located in the southern and western part of the modern Xinjiang. It is divided into two groups - the northern in the central Xinjiang, and the southern in the southern Xinjiang. The former is identical with the modern Tiānshān 天山, the latter includes modern Kūnlúnshān 昆侖山, A3ěrjīnshān 阿爾金, and Qíliánshān 祁連山.These mountains are already mentioned in the Shiji, Xiongnu liezhuan.

        10. D4àyǔlíng 大庾岭 refers to the mountains on the borders of the modern Jiangxi and Guangdong.

        11. Yīnshān 陰山 refers to the mountains in the central part of the modern Inner Mongolia. Mentioned already in the Shiji.

        12. Qínlíng 秦岭 is a mountain range dividing the northern and southern parts of China. It is also a water-shed dividing the drainage areas of the Weì 渭, Huái 淮, and Hàn 漢 rivers. It spreads from the borders of the Qinghai and Gansu to the central part of Henan. This range includes important mountains, such as Mínshān 岷山, Huàshān 華山, and Sǒngshān 嵩山. Qínlíng 秦岭 in the narrow sense refers to the part of the range in the modern Shaanxi.

        13. Yānshān 燕山 refers to the mountains on the northern edge of the Hebei plains.

        14. Wǔyíshān 武夷山 is the name of the mountains on the borders of the modern Jiangxi and Fujian provinces. The earliest references I have found are post-Han.

        15. Taìhéngshān 太行山 refers to the mountain range on the borders of the modern Henan, Shanxi, and Hebei. In the south, it reaches to the Huanghe. The name already occurs in the texts of the Warring States period [YUGONG chapter in the SHANGSHU].

        16. Kūnlúnshān 昆侖山 is the name of the mountains on the borders of the modern Xinjiang and Tibet. It runs from the east to the west in the length of 2500 km. It is already referred to in the texts of the Warring states and Han periods [SHANHAIJING, HUAINANZI, MU TIANZI ZHUAN].

        17. Tiānshān 天山 are mountains in the central part of the modern Xinjiang. The name already occurs in the SHANHAIJING and HANSHU.

        18. Jǐuzǐshān 九子山 is an ancient name of the Jiǔhuáshān 九華山 in the modern Qingyang county of the Anhui province. The latter name was in use since the Tang.

        19. Dàbāshān 大巴山 refers to the mountains on the borders of the modern Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Hubei.

        20. Yàndàngshān 雁蕩山 are the mountains in the southeastern part of the modern Zhejiang province.

        21. Wūshān 巫山 is located on the borders of the modern Sichuan and Hubei. The Changjiang flows through its central part, creating famous Three gorges.

        22. Jūnshān 君山 is the mountain in the center of the Dongting lake, modern Hunan province. Also called Dòngtíngshān 洞庭山.

        23. Běimáng 北邙 is the mountain range in the modern Henan. Also called Mángshān 芒山, Běishān 北山.It runs from Sanmenxia in the West to the bank of the Yīluò river in the East. Since the Eastern Han, princes and high officers were buried on its slopes north to the Luoyang.

        24. Běigùshān 北固山 is the mountain in the northeastern part of the modern city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province.

        25. Wúshān 吳山 is name of the three important mountains.

        a. In the north of the Pinglu county, Shanxi province. According to HOUHANSHU, on the peak of it, there there was located the city of Yǔ 麌.

        b. To the south-east of the Xihu lake in the Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province. In the Chunqiu period, it was the western border of the state of Wú, hence the name.

        c. In the southwestern part of the Long county, Shaanxi province. According to ERYA, it was one of the Five sacred mountains, 五岳.

        26. Dìngjūnshān 定軍山 is located in the southeatern part of the modern Mian county, Shaanxi province. In 219 A.D., near these mountains, army of Liu Bei defeated one of the Cao Caos generals.

        27. Fúniúshān 伏牛山 is ancient name for the Jīnshān 金山, northwest to the modern city of Zhenjiang in the Jiangsu province. The latter name came to be used in the Tang. Also called Huófú 獲箙, Fúyù 浮玉 mountains.　

        28. Jiāoshān 焦山 is located to the northeast of the modern city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province.

        29. Tài sh1an 泰山 is the most important of the Five sacred mountains. It was also called Dōngyuè 東岳, Daìzōng 岱宗, Daìshān 岱山, Daìyuè 岱岳, Taìyuè 泰岳. It is located in the central part of the modern Shandong province. The mountain range runs from the eastern margin of the Dōngpíng 東平 lake in the northwestern direction to the modern Linbo city. It is about 200 km long. Since antiquity, Chinese rulers sacrificed on the Tài sh1an. The earliest evidence is in SHIJING.

        30. Huàshān 華山 is the westernmost of the Five sacred peaks, henceforth it was also called Xīyuè 西岳. It is located in the southern part of the modern Yin county, Shaanxi province. Its height is 1997 m.

        31. Héng shān �琱 sis the northernmost of the Five sacred peaks, henceforth it was also called Běiyuè 北岳.From the Han to the Ming, the sacred Héng shān �琱 swas located in the northwestern part of the modern Quyang county of the Hebei province.

        32. Héng shān 衡山 is the southernmost of the Five sacred mountains, and is also called Nányuè 南岳. It is located in the modern Hengshan county in the Hunan province, and is 1290 m high, and several hundred km long. It is refered to already in SHANGSHU, SHUN DIAN.　

        33. Sōng shān 嵩山 is the central of the Five sacred peaks, and it was also called Sōngyuè 嵩岳. It belongs to the Fúniúshān 伏牛山 mountain range, and is located in the modern Dengfeng county in the Henan province. It is already mentioned in the SHIJING.

        34. Niúzhǔshān 牛渚山 is the name of the mountains on the bank of the Changjiang in the northwestern part of the modern Dangtu county, Anhui province.

        35. Bāgōngshān 八公山 are the mountains in the western part of the modern city of Huainan, Anhui province. It is located west of the Féishuǐ 淝水, and south of the Huáishǔi 淮水. In 383 A.D. famous battle of Feishui took place close to this mountain.

        36. Jiǔyíshān 九疑山, also called Cāngyǔshān 蒼木吾山, are the mountains in the modern Ningyuan county in the Hunan province. According to the Shiji, the sage emperor Shun died and was buried there.

        37. Chìchéngshān 赤城山 are the mountains in the northwestern part of the modern Tiantai, Zhejiang province. First mentioned in the Jin dynasty.

        38. Lúshān 盧山 are the mountains in the southern part of the modern Jiujiang town, Jiangxi province. Also called Kuāngshān 匡山, Kuānglú 匡盧, Nánzhàng4shān 南障山. The name is already mentioned in the Han times. It is said that both Emperor Yu and First emperor climbed the mountains when travelling to the South.

        39. Sh3ouyángshān 首陽山 are the mountains in the southern part of the modern Yongji county, Shanxi province. According to the tradition (for the first time mentioned in the LUNYU), it was in these mountains, where Boyi and Shuqi lived in hermitage. The mountains are already referred to in the SHIJING.

        40. E2méishān 峨嵋山 is the name of the mountains in the southwestern part of the modern Emei county, Sichuan province. It is already mentioned in the HUAYANG GUOZHI of the Jin dynasty. It belongs to the four famous mountains of buddhism.

        41. Qīngchéngshān 青城山 are the mountains in the southwestern part of the modern Guan county, Sichuan province. According to the tradition, it was there where in the Han times Zhang Daoling practiced dao.

        42. Luófúshān 羅浮山 are the mountains on the north bank of the Dōngjiāng 東江 river in the modern Guangdong province. According to the tradition, during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Ge Hong practiced dao there.