Taxonomy of meanings for 芳:
Additional information about 芳
說文解字: 【芳】,香艸也。从艸、方聲。 【𢾭方切】
- Criteria
- FRAGRANT
1. Xiāng 香 (ant. chòu 臭 "stinking") is orginally the scent of grain, and the meaning of the word was generalised to refer to any pleasant smell, especially also that of foodstuffs. NB: chòu 臭 is often neutral in classical Chinese and can refer to pleasant as well as unpleasant smells. However, there are cases where the word clearly describes something as evil-smelling and not only refers to what actually happens to be an evil smell.
2. The general poetic term for fragrance of flowers or grasses is fāng 芳 (ant. chòu 臭 "stinking"), and the word never refers to the fragrance of any artefact.
3. Xūn 薰 refers to an almost pungent strong fragrance.
4. Fēn 芬 is a rare rather colourless term for attractive smell.
5. Xīng 馨 refers to a striking fragrance speading far and wide.
- STINK
1. The current general and abstract word for odours of all kinds, pleasant or unpleasant, is chòu 臭.
2. Xiāng 香 (ant. chòu 臭 "stench") often refers to pleasant odours and fragrance, but the word can also refer to a stench, unlike fāng 芳.
3. Xīng 腥, sāo 臊, and xīng sāo 腥臊 refers specifically to the stench of rotten pork or generally of rotten meat.
4. Shān 羶 / 膻 refers to the notorious pungent stench of goats.
5. Chòu 殠 is very rare word referring to an unpleasant smell.
See FRAGRANT