TLS - 漢學文典

Taxonomy of meanings for 塞:　　

塞 sài (OC: sɯɯɡs MC: səi) 先代切去廣韻：【邊塞又蘇則切】
- FORTRESS
  - nfortress (typically in border region or outlying region)
- BOUNDARY
  - nfrontier, border region
  - nadNborderland-
  - nfigurativelimits of proper behaviour, boundaries that should not be exceededLZ
- BORDER
- BOARD-GAMES
  - nabactthe Sai board game???
- =賽
塞 sāi (OC: sɯɯɡ MC: sək) 蘇則切入廣韻：【滿也窒也隔也蘇則切又蘇載切五】
- BLOCK
  - nman-made (road-) block to hinder invasion
  - vtoNcausativeblock up (both in concrete and in abstract senses); block, hinder the passage through; hinder the functioning of
  - vtoNpassiveget blocked; be hindered
  - vtoNreflexive.自block (oneself)
  - vadNpassiveblocked
  - nabfigurativepassive: being blocked in one's effortsCH
  - vtoNmiddlevoicebe blockedCH
  - vt[oN]block waterLZ
塞 sāi (OC: slɯɯɡs MC: sək) 蘇則切入廣韻：【同塞見説文】
- BLOCK
  - nman-made (road-) block to hinder invasion
  - vtoNcausativeblock up (both in concrete and in abstract senses); block, hinder the passage through; hinder the functioning of
  - vtoNpassiveget blocked; be hindered
  - vtoNreflexive.自block (oneself)
  - vadNpassiveblocked
  - nabfigurativepassive: being blocked in one's effortsCH
  - vtoNmiddlevoicebe blockedCH
  - vt[oN]block waterLZ
  - generalised: material>FILL
    - psychological>
      EARNEST
    - figurative>
      OCCUPY
    - figurative> SATISFY
  - generalised>
    HINDER
    - nabstativehindranceLZ
    - vtoNmiddle voicebe prevented from functioning properly, be impededCH
    - access>
      CONCEAL
      - feature>INACCESSIBLE
        
        ninaccessible terrain
        
        vibe inaccessible;
    - generalised: physical>
      RESTRAIN
  - figurative>
    REPAIR

sài
FILL
- vt+prep+Nmiddle voiceto fill up (a certain space); to be filled in (somewhere)
- vtoNfill in (an opening. a well etc)
- vtoNfigurativeto fill in figuratively, to satisfyLZ
sāi sè sāi
STUPID
- vibe mentally blocked, ignorantLZ

Additional information about 塞

說文解字:

Criteria

OPEN

1. The most common general word for opening things is qǐ 啟 (ant. bì 閉 "close") which can refer to all sorts of opening up of all manner of things.

2. Kāi 開 (ant. bì 閉 "close") and pì 闢 "open wide" (ant. fēng 封 "close tightly") refer primarily to the opening of doors, windows and the like.

3. Fā 發 (ant. bì 閉 "close") refers to the opening of something in order to enable one to inspect the contents or to remove things from the interior.

4. Pī 披 (ant. hé 合 "roll up") refers to the opening up of something by unrolling it.

5. Jué 決 (ant. dǔ 堵 "block up" and sè 塞 "block up") refers to the opening up of an artificial waterway for circulation.
INACCESSIBLE

1. The standard word for inaccessible difficult territory is xiǎn 險.

2. Zǔ 阻 refers to a point in the terrain where the road is blocked by mountains or rivers and it is impossible to pass.

3. Xiàn 限 refers in general to natural conditions of inaccessibility.

4. A4i 隘 refers to a natural narrow passage which is dangerous and difficult to pass.

5. Sài 塞 refers to being inaccessible from a certain direction.

6. Gù 固 can refer to a place which is difficult of access in all directions because of natural impediments.
FILL

1. The most general and current word in this group is probably yíng 盈 (ant. xū 虛 "empty out") which refers to any filling up or filling in, abstract or concrete.

2. Chōng 充 refers to the concrete filling out completely of a container or a suitable empty space with (often desirable) physical substances.

3. Sài 塞 emphasises the nuance of filling in a space not necessarily designed to be filled in so as to block the free passage of other substances.

4. Mǎn 滿 is a word that was rather late to gain currency, replacing certain usages of yíng 盈, and it refers to the filling out of all of an empty space, with large amounts or large numbers of some specified kind of objects.

5. Tián 填 is originally to fill out something so as to make a level surface.
BLOCK

[[CONGERIES]]; [GENERAL], [SPECIFIC]

1. Sè 塞 (ant. tōng 通 "be unblocked") is the standard word for blocking the progress of something, or for blocking up an opening, and the word specifically refers to the blocking of things from getting out of something.

[GENERAL]

2. Yǎn 掩 is the standard word for blocking visual access to an object.

[SPECIFIC]

3. Yōng 壅 (ant. chè 徹 "unblock") refers to blocking things from entering.

[SPECIFIC]

4. Dāng 當 refers to a deliberate act of standing in the way of something or ensuring that something cannot proceed in a natural way.

[SPECIFIC]

5. Bì 閉 refers to the blocking of something so as to prevent it to get out. See LOCK.

[SPECIFIC]

6. Xiàn 限 refers to a border as blocking access. See BORDER

Word relations

Ant: (PUBLIC)私/PRIVATE The dominant current word for privacy is sī 私 (ant. gōng 公 "public"), and the word designates everything that falls outside the responsibility of public administration. Contrast SELFISH.
Ant: (BLOCK)導 / 導道/LEAD The current general term for leadership or guidance of any kind is dǎo 導/道.
Ant: (BLOCK)啟/OPEN The most common general word for opening things is qǐ 啟 (ant. bì 閉 "close") which can refer to all sorts of opening up of all manner of things.
Ant: (BLOCK)開/OPEN Kāi 開 (ant. bì 閉 "close") and pì 闢 "open wide" (ant. fēng 封 "close tightly") refer primarily to the opening of doors, windows and the like.
Assoc: (BLOCK)壅/BLOCK Yōng 壅 (ant. chè 徹 "unblock") refers to blocking things from entering. [SPECIFIC]
Assoc: (BLOCK)障/HINDER Zhàng 障 refers to putting a permanent hindrance in the way of something.
Synon: (FILL)補/FILL