Taxonomy of meanings for 聰:　　

Additional information about 聰

說文解字:

Criteria
• STUPID
  

  <div>1. The dominant word is yú 愚 (ant. zhì 智 "clever; wise"), and the word refers to moral as well as intellectual obtuseness as well as moral irresponsibility and practical ineptitude. </div>2. Zhuó 拙 (ant. jié 捷 "nimble") refers to practical manifest ineptitude. 3. Chī 癡 (ant. yǐ4ng 穎 "very clever") refers to moronic congenital intellectual ineptitude. 4. Lǔ 魯 and dùn 鈍 (ant. huì 慧 "clever") tends to refer to boorish and rustic bluntness of and moral sensibility. 5. Bì 蔽 and měng 蒙 (all ant. cōng 聰 "clever"), refer to an intellectual obfuscation due to limited access to information, a state of stupidity that may be remediable. 6. Mèi 昧 and àn 暗 (ant. míng 明 "clear-minded") refer primarily to temporal benightedness of mind and lack of an enlightened attitude, often cause by lack of information. 7. Wán 頑 and lòu 陋 (both ant.* bó 博 "broadly civilised") add the nuance of stubbornness to that of benighted stupidity as such. NB: Bèn 笨, āi 呆, shǎ3 傻, and chūn 蠢 are post-Han words for stupidity and silliness. For a comprehensive conceptual analysis of early evidence see Christian Schwermann, "Dummheit" in altchinesischen Texten: eine Begriffsgeschichte, (Veröffentlichungen des Ostasien-Instituts der Rhhr Universität, Bochum, vol. 62, 2011)

• INTELLIGENT
  

  1. The most general word for the native ability to understand or to do things is zhī 知 "knowing", but a problem with this word is that it ranges freely and often imperceptibly in meaning from spiritual wisdom to technical competence.

  2. Míng 明 (ant. àn 闇 "obfuscated in one's mind"), taking its analogy from sharpness of vision, typically refers to clarity of insight at all levels.

  3. Cōng 聰 (ant. kuì 聵 "hard of understanding"), taking its analogy from sharpness of hearing, typically refers to well-informed sharpness of judgment.

  4. Shān 顫 is a very rare word referring to the acute sense of smell, and thus to narine intelligence.

  5. Chá 察 refers to discriminating investigative intelligence.

  6. Ruì 睿 perspicacious in reflection.

  SHU, HONGFAN: 視曰明，聽曰聰，思曰睿。

• WISE
  

  1. The current general word for wisdom is zhì 智 (ant. yú 愚 "devoid of wisdom") and this may refer to any acquired superior intellectual ability beyond the realm of memorisation or mundane knowledge, the quality which enables one to móu 謀 give good advice..

  2. Shèng 聖 (ant. yōng 庸 "mediocre") refers to supreme sagehood and perfection of character.

  3. Míng 明 (ant. bì 蔽 "beclouded, mentally obfuscated") refers to more cerebral clarity of moral insight and superb perceptiveness.

  4. Cōng 聰 (ant. dùn 鈍 "numb and insensitive") refers to sharp and incisive intelligence, especially in the analyses of what one has learnt and heard.

  5. Huì 慧 can refer to natural profound wisdom and depth of insight, but the word often comes close to referring to natural cunning.

  6. Yǐng 穎 is a rare and archaising word referring to quite extraordinary superb intellectual ability.

  7. Ruì 睿 refers to general astuteness and thoughtfulness.

Word relations
• Ant: (HEAR)聾/DEAF The general word for deafness of any kind, congenital or not, is lóng 聾 (ant. tīng 聽 "able to hear").
• Assoc: (INTELLIGENT)慧 / 惠/WISE Huì 慧 refers to profound wisdom and depth of insight.
• Assoc: (INTELLIGENT)智 / 知/INTELLIGENT The most general word for native ability to understand is zhī 知 (ant. wú zhī 無知 "lack the ability to understand"), but the word ranges in meaning from spiritual wisdom to technical competence.
• Oppos: (HEAR)明/SEE Míng 明 (ant. máng 盲 "unable to see at all") refers to clarity of general vision and is predominantly used in transferred senses. 1 Attribution