Taxonomy of meanings for 節:　　

Additional information about 節

說文解字: 【節】，竹約也。从竹、卽聲。 【子結切】

Criteria
• DECENT
  

  1. The current word in general use is jié 節 (ant. yín 淫 "unrestrained") which refers primarily to decency in behaviour.

  2. Liáng 良 (ant.* bào 暴 "recklessness") is decency of attitude as well as decency in action.

  3. Jiǎn 儉 (ant. chǐ 侈 "excessiveness") is the important virtue of decent restraint in Confucian moral spirituality and it is something cultivated by a moral effort.

  4. Shú 淑 refers in a poetic way to the proper unassuming modesty of a person, especially of attractive women in ancient Chinese society.

  5. Ràng 讓 (ant. màn 慢 "be impolite to") is marginal in this group and refers to polite deference in interaction with others. See YIELD

• STANDARD
  

  1. The current general words for a standard to be followed is guī 規.

  2. The current word referring specifically to physical standards and measurements is dù 度.

  3. The current general word for abstract moral standards is jié 節.

  4. Cháng 常 focusses on the lasting effectiveness of a standard.

  5. Cao 操 refers to a standard as a technique to be mastered and then exercised.

  6. Zhì 制 refers to a system in general. See SYSTEM

• FRUGAL
  

  1. The current general word for the virtue of parsimony is jiǎn 儉 (ant. shē 奢 "extravagant in the use of resources").

  2. Jié 節 (ant. chǐ 侈 "lavish use of resources") refers to the virtue of moderation in the use of things as it applies to specified areas and does not function an abstract philosophical concept of parsimony.

  3. The negative quality of stinginess is lìn 吝 (ant. POST-BUDDHIST kāng kǎi 慷慨 "generous (with friends)", and in pre-Buddhist times the less exact huì 惠 "generous (to inferiors)").

  4. The neutral terms for thrift are shěng 省 (ant. fèi 費 "spend freely"), jiǎn 簡, and yuē 約.

  5. Xí 惜 (ant. tài 泰 / 汰 "use up resources thoughtlessly") refers to the reluctance to let go of something or to use it up.

• WEATHER
  

  There is no commonly used general concept for the weather in pre-Buddhist Chinese. The closest we come is perhaps qì 氣 as in ZUO 天有六氣, but consider the whole passage:

  天有六氣， (In the same way) there are six heavenly influences,

  降生五味， which descend and produce the five tastes,

  發為五色， go forth in the five colours,

  徵為五聲。 and are verified in the five notes;

  淫生六疾。 but when they are in excess, they produce the six diseases.

  六氣曰陰、陽、風、雨、晦、明也， Those six influences are denominated the yin, the yang, wind, rain, obscurity, and brightness.

  分為四時， In their separation, they form the four seasons;

  序為五節， in their order, they form the five (elementary) terms.

  過則為菑： When any of them is in excess, there ensues calamity.

  陰淫寒疾， An excess of the yin leads to diseases of the cold;

  陽淫熱疾， of the yang, to diseases of heat;

  風淫末疾， of wind, to diseases of the extremities;

  雨淫腹疾， of rain, to diseases of the belly;

  晦淫惑疾， of obscurity, to diseases of delusion;

  明淫心疾。 of brightness to diseases of the mind.

• WASTE
  

  1. The current general word for habitual wastefulness is hào 耗 (ant. liǎn 斂 "economical, parsimonious").

  2. Fèi 費 (ant. jié 節 "be economical in the use of resources") refers specifically to single acts of wastefulness.

  3. Fèi 廢 (ant. cún 存 "keep and avoid spending") refers to an inclination to use large sums without necessarily indicating that such large expenditure is wasteful.

  4. Kuàng 曠 "waste" (ant. xī 惜 "make sparing use of") is limited to the combination kuàng rì 曠日 "waste time" (ant. shěng shí 省時 "save time" seems late).

• MODERATION
  

  節

• EXTRAVAGANT
  

  1. Sh1ē 奢 (ant. jiǎn 儉 "parsimonious") is excessive conspicuous consumption or use of money for one's private purposes, with or without demonstrative large scale extravagance, and the word is not necessarily pejorative.

  2. Chǐ 侈 (ant. jié 節 "moderate in the use of resources") always refers to manifestly reprehensible extravagance with no connotation of laudable generosity.

  3. Mǐ 靡 (ant. jiǎn 簡 "unextravagant") is pointless and wasteful luxuriousness, and the term is always strongly pejorative.

  4. Huá 華 is purely demonstrative conspicuous and aesthetically elaborate consumption.

  5. Tài 泰 (ant. yuē 約 "restrained in the use of resources") is grandiose and demonstrative extravagance.

  6. Yín 淫 can come to refer to extravagance as a symptom of general indulgence.

• UNRESTRAINED
  

  1. The current general word for lack of restraint and indulgence is zī 恣 (ant. jié 節 "exercise moderation").

  2. Zòng 縱 (ant. yuē 約 "be limited by constraints") refers pejoratively to lack of restraint.

  3. Sì 肆 and dàng 蕩 (ant. jū 拘 "be properly restrained") refer often positively to lack of inhibitions and a freedom of behaviour.

  4. Fàng 放 (ant. liǎn 斂 "be restrained") refers to a deliberate act of removing social or other inhibitions.

  5. Yín 淫 can come to refer to extravagance as a symptom of general indulgence.

• JOINT
  

  1. The current general term for a joint is jié 節.

• RESTRAIN
  

  1. The current general word for restraining something or someone is yuē 約 (ant. zòng 縱 "give free rein to").

  2. Jié 節 (ant. sì 肆 "be unrestrained") always refers to abstract restraint and moderation, typically the restraint is directed towards oneself.

  3. Jū 拘 (ant. dàng 蕩 "be completely free") and shù 束 refer to being confined or constrained by external circumstances.

  4. Lè 勒 and kòng 控 (all ant. fàng 放 "set free") refer to a vigorous act of restraining someone or something by force.

  5. Jī 羈 (ant. tuō 脫 "let loose") and yǐn 引 refer specifically to the reining in of horses by the use of a bridle, but the word also has generalised uses where it refers to restraint of other creatures.

• TALLY
  

  All these words refer to documents which officially or formally convey authority or are symbols of a contractual relationship.

  1. The fú 符 tally always has two "halves" only.

  2. The jié 節 is originally made of bamboo and can be divided into one or more "halves" that have to fit together to count as tallies.

  3. The zhuàn 傳 is a tally with an inscription specifying what the authority conveyed is.

  4. Quàn 券 and the somewhat more archaic qì 契 refers to the physical object which constitutes the written version of a contract or an agreement.

• LEWD
  

  1. The current general word for lewdness and lasciviousness in attitude and in action is yín 淫 (ant. jié 節 "decently restrained").

  2. Yù 慾 refers to a lustful attitude.

  3. Dàng 蕩 (ant. zhēn 貞 refers primarily to lewdness in action).

• VIRTUE
  

  1. The current general term for salient features and principles of charismatic moral potency, integrity and generosity is dé 德, when used as a term of ethical evalutation.

  2. Other general terms for subjectively construed general moral commendation include měi 美 "point of moral distinction" (ant. è 惡 "point of moral decrepitude"), and occasionally gāo 高 "elevated points, elevated spirit" (ant. jiàn 賤 "point of vulgar decrepitude"). NB that shàn 善 "excellent" is not used as a general term of positive moral appreciation in pre-Buddhist texts.

  3. The most current dé 德 "virtues" recognised in pre-Buddhist China are rén 仁 "kind-heartedness", yì 義 "rectitude", lǐ 禮 "propriety", zhì 智 "wisdom", and xìn 信 "good faith".

  4. Further important virtues are xiào 孝 "filial piety", zhōng 忠 "loyal diligence", tì 悌 / 弟 "brotherly affection", lián 廉 "impeccable probity", jié 節 "moderation", and perhaps yǒng 勇 "the courage of one's moral convictions". ( 說苑 : 百行 (xìng) 孝為先 )

  5. Zhōng yōng 中庸 "the mean in action" may be mentioned as a a central Confucian virtue, jiān ài 兼愛 "unIversal love" as a Mohist virtue, wú wéi 無為 "unobtrusive action" as a non-moralistic Taoist virtue.

• RELEASE
  

  1. The most current general word for setting an animal or a person free is shì 釋 (ant. shōu 收 "hold prisoner").

  2. Zòng 縱 (ant. yuē 約 "restrain") is to give free reins to someone or something that is under constraint with the expectation that this feedom will be used freely and enthusiastically.

  3. Sì 肆 (ant. jié 節 "restrain, moderate") refers to giving free rein to psychological tendencies and the like, thus going beyond what are natural societal expectations.

  4. Chū 出 (ant. liú 留 "keep in retention") is a colourless term referring to letting someone out of an enclosure, typically prison.

  5. Miǎn 免 (ant. jiū 究 "hold definitely responsible for crimes") refers specifically to an act of mercy involving a decision to set someone free who is available for criminal prosecution for a crime assumed committed.

  6. Fàng 放 (ant. liǎn 斂 "exert a moderating influence on") refers to a removal of constraints on animals or persons, causing these to follow their natural instincts.

Word relations
• Ant: (FRUGAL)侈/EXTRAVAGANT Chǐ 侈 (ant. jié 節 "moderate in the use of resources") always refers to manifestly reprehensible extravagance with no connotation of laudable generosity. 1 Attribution
• Object: (FRUGAL)用/EXPENSE Yòng 用 refers generally to the expenses one incurs, particularly in connection with state or family economy. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (DECENT)清/PURE Qīng 清 (ant. zhuó 濁 "dirty, impure") and the rarer chéng 澂 emphasises the absence of any admixtures that might make something less transparent and translucent. 1 Attribution
• Epithet: (RESTRAIN)行/ACT The current general word for any deliberate action one may be held morally and/or administratively responsible for is xíng 行 (ant. zhǐ 止 "decide not to take action"). The nominal entries have the old reading xìng. [COMMENDATORY!], [GENERAL], [HABITUAL], [RESPONSIBLE] 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (VIRTUE)德/VIRTUE The current general term for salient features and principles of charismatic moral integrity and generosity is dé 德, when used as a term of ethical evalutation; but this word has many other philosophically important meanings.
• Contrast: (STANDARD)操/STANDARD Cāo 操 refers to a standard as a technique to be mastered and then exercised.
• Contrast: (VIRTUE)德/VIRTUE The current general term for salient features and principles of charismatic moral integrity and generosity is dé 德, when used as a term of ethical evalutation; but this word has many other philosophically important meanings.
• Contrast: (SEASON)時/SEASON The general term for a season is shí 時, and the primary seasons are chūn 春 and qiū 秋, in Warring States times the names of the Four Seasons became current.
• Contrast: (VIRTUE)/
• Contrast: (STANDARD)行/ACT The current general word for any deliberate action one may be held morally and/or administratively responsible for is xíng 行 (ant. zhǐ 止 "decide not to take action"). The nominal entries have the old reading xìng. [COMMENDATORY!], [GENERAL], [HABITUAL], [RESPONSIBLE]
• Contrast: (RESTRAIN)適/RESTRAIN1 Attribution
• Assoc: (RESTRAIN)禮/RITUAL The current general term for everything relating to the system of ritual propriety is lǐ 禮. However the term can also be used to refer to individual prescribed rituals. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (FRUGAL)儉/FRUGAL The current general word for the virtue of parsimony is jiǎn 儉 (ant. shē 奢 "extravagant in the use of resources").
• Assoc: (STANDARD)度/STANDARD The current word referring specifically to physical standards and measurements is dù 度.
• Assoc: (SEASON)期/PERIOD