Additional information about 米
說文解字: 【米】，粟實也。 〔小徐本「粟」作「穬」。〕 象禾實之形。凡米之屬皆从米。 【莫禮切】
- Criteria
- ROPE
1. Probably the most general word for the rope is shéng 繩. The term originally referred to the finer rope made of silk or hemp (which was used for instance to make a fishing net), but in Han times it became to be used for all kinds of ropes. Note that ropes in ancient China were like our modern ropes usually twisted of two strips.
2. Suǒ 索 refers to the rope larger and more crude than shéng 繩; it was usually made not of silk or hemp, but of grass, wooden, or bamboo strips.
3. Jīu 糾 according to SHUOWEN refers to the rope twisted of three strips. In fact, this explanation is doubtful, and it seems that while the word refers to the ropes generally, it particularly points to the fact that they are twisted of strips. The word is usually used like a verb "to twist, to weave together", sometimes in meaning to collect together.
4. Táo 綯 is the word for rope which occurs in SHIJING together with suǒ 索.
5. Huī 徽 and mò (written like 絲 and 墨 ) both refer to the crude ropes which were usually used for punishments. The former can be also used like a verb "to bind", the latter can also refer to the crude rope used for other purposes, like a reins for instance.
6. Léi 縲 refer to the large and crude rope used to bind up criminals.
7. Jiān 緘 refers to the rope for tying up basket or a box.
8. Téng 滕 refers to the rope used to tie up something.
9. Huà 繣 refers to the cord for tying something.
10. Guàn 貫 refers to the string to hang cash on, and also to the cash string like a unit; the oldest evidence I have found is in SHIJI.
11. Qiǎng 繈 refers to the cash string (mentioned already in GUANZI and SHIJI.
12. Zhí 縶 refers in SHIJING and ZUO to the rope used to tie the horse.
13. Mí (written like 糜 but with 絲 instead of 米 ) refers to the rope for leading cattle.
14. Zhèn 紖 is another term for the rope used to lead cattle.
15. Xiè 紲 refers to the rope used to hold a dog.
16. Xián 弦 refers either to the string of a bow (usually made of oxen veins), or to the string of a musical instrument:.
NB: Finds of ropes are of course extremely rare. Ropes made of grass were found in the Neolithic site of Hemudu (near Shanghai; HUANG 1995: 1420), another other is known from the early Shang site at Mengzhuang in Henan (references and illustrations TO BE FOUND)]