Taxonomy of meanings for 庸:　　

  • 庸 yōng (OC: k-loŋ MC: jioŋ) 餘封切 平 廣韻：【常也用也功也和也次也易也又姓漢有庸光 】
    • EMPLOY
      • vtoNemploy properly
      • grammaticalised: using, with>USE
        • vtoNpsychdeploy (oneself), exert (oneself); use (one's own) energies
        • vtoNabemploy an abstract object (e.g. lenient approach)LZ
      • psychological>NEED
        • new>REPLACE
          • as employee>WORK
            • nservice rendered
            • hard>LABOUR
              • generalised>EFFORT
                  • abstract>ACT
                    • nab.t:post-Nthe practice of N 中庸
                    • nabactthe practice, the exercise
                    • vtoNput into (administrative) practiceCH
                • result>MERIT
                  • subjet: worker>ARTISAN
                    • nagentworker
                  • feature:ENDURING
                    • v[adN]that which is invariableCH
                    • nabmoral constancyCH
                    • grammaticalised>ALWAYS
                      • grammaticalised>OFTEN
                          • epistemic> PROBABLY
                          • feature>ORDINARY
                            • v[adN]nonreferentialthose who are mediocre > the mediocre, the average people
                            • vadNmediocre, unremarkable; perfectly ordinary
                            • specificSTUPID
                  • grammaticalised>HOW
                    • padVexpected answer: no!how 庸知
                  • grammaticalised>WHO
                    • nproexpected answer: no!who? i.e. no one
                  • STATES
                    • SURNAMES
                      • =慵TIRED
                        • =鏞 (big)BELL
                          • =墉WALL
                          • yōngVULGAR
                            • vadNvulgar, undignifiedCH

                          Additional information about 庸

                          說文解字:

                            Criteria
                          • ORDINARY

                            1. The current general word for "ordinary" is fán 凡 (ant. qí 奇 "remarkable").

                            2. Zhōng 中 (ant. yōu 優 "excellent") refers specifically to mediocrity.

                            3. Yōng 庸 (ant. tè 特 "of special distinction") refers to what is regularly met and not unexpected, and the word focusses on that this does not distinguish itself through any positive features.

                            4. Sǎn 散 (ant. jīng 精 "exquisite") refers to what can make no claim for special attention.

                            5. Shù 庶 (ant. zhēn 珍 "extraordinarily precious") refers to kinds of persons that there are very many of.

                            6. Cū 粗 (ant. jīng 精 "exquisitely civilised") refers to ordinariness as absence of cultural polish.

                            7. Xì 細 (ant. kuí 魁 "great, towering") refers to ordinariness as absence of real power or significance.

                            8. Wēi 微 (ant. jù 巨 "great") refers to relative slightness or insignificance without negative overtones.

                          • PRECIOUS

                            1. The current general word for objective preciousness and real high value and importance is bǎo 寶 (ant. zhuì 贅 "trifles"), and this word often has abstract figurative meanings "what one treasures as most important in one's life".

                            2. Guì 貴 (ant. jiàn 賤 "cheap") refers to something precious and expensive, and the idea is always that this things are publicly recognised as precious.

                            3. Zhēn 珍 (ant. yōng 庸 "perfectly ordinary") is always concrete when nominal and refers to preciousness with strong overtones of exquisite and exlusive distinction of the object concerned, and there often is a touch of the subjective. Hence the common combination zhēn guài 珍怪 "precious and exotic things", and the derived meaning of "culinary delicacies".

                          • EXCELLENT

                            1. The standard current general word for anything or anyone who naturally meets certain generally accepted high standards of excellence is liáng 良 (ant. liè 劣 "inferior").

                            2. Shàn 善 (ant. zhuó 拙 "inept"), when the word does not mean moral goodness, but is close in meaning to liáng 良, refers to an acquired specific skill or propensity for certain forms of action.

                            3. Jīng 精 (of general application) (ant. cū 粗 "of only rough quality") and ruì 銳 (typically applied to military prowess) (ant. dùn 鈍 "of lesser quality") refer to above-average performance without suggestion individual excellence.

                            4. Yōu 優 (ant. liè 劣 "inferior") and cháng 長 (ant. duǎn 短 "of lesser quality") refers to a distinct advantage in excellence compared with some reference group or some point of reference.

                            5. Gōng 工 (ant. yú 寙 "fumbling, inept") is to be specialised in something concrete or even professional in an area, typically a craft.

                            6. Jiā 佳 (ant. xià 下 "inferior in quality") implies manifestly recognised striking excellence regarding such qualities such as beauty or moral cultivation.

                            7. Měi 美 (ant. è 惡 "of bad quality") when it does not have its standard meaning "beauty" indicates striking or admirable high quality of anything concrete or abstract.

                            8. Jiā 嘉 (ant. yōng 庸 "mediocre") refers to manifestly recognised striking excellence, typically of an abstract kind.

                            9. Zhǐ 旨 (ant. báo 薄 "of slight quality") refers specifically to excellence in the quality of wine, and sometimes to other foodstuffs.

                            10. Jùn 駿 (ant. nú 駑 "miserable hag") refers specifically to excellence in horses, and by extension occasionally serves as metaphoric for outstanding personalities.

                          • ARTISAN

                            1. The current general word for a worker or craftsman is jiàng 匠 (ant. shì 士 "freeman; scholar").

                            2. Yōng 庸 (ant. jūn zǐ 君子 "gentleman") refers to any menial worker.

                            3. Yì 役 (ant. zhǔ 主 "person in charge") refers specifically to a corvee labourer. See CORVEE LABOURER

                            4. Táo 陶 "potter", páo 庖 "cook", yě 冶 "founder" are current specific terms.

                            5. Zhū 侏 and rú 儒 are specific terms referring to the clowns or court entertainers. See CLOWN

                          • HERO

                            1. The current general term for a person of almost superhuman strength or talent is xióng 雄 (ant. yōng 庸 "ordinary person").

                            2. Jié 傑 / 桀 refers to an outstanding hero.

                            3. Yīng 英 focusses on the hero as an illustrious figure.

                            4. Jùn 俊 focus on the hero as a remarkable figure towering above ordinary man.

                            5. Háo 豪 focusses on the hero as possessed of very great strength.

                            6. Shèng 聖 (ant. fán 凡 "ordinary person") focusses on the hero as possessed of very great superior creativity and wisdom, and the word is mostly expanded to shèng rén 聖人.

                            7. Xián 賢 (ant. bù xiào 不肖 "the incompetent") focusses on the hero as possessed of very unusually high moral, political, and practical talents.

                            WENZI, shangli: 智過百人謂之杰，十人謂之豪，千人謂之俊，萬人謂之英。

                            HUAINAN, taizu: 故智過萬人者謂之英，千人者謂之俊，百人者謂之豪，十人者謂之杰。

                          • 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.

                          • 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.

                          • EMPLOY

                            1. The current general word for employing someone for any purpose, but also in highly formal bureacratic contexts, is yòng 用.

                            2. Shǐ 使 refers to employing someone in a certain mission or for a certain task.

                            3. Rén 任 refers to investing someone with certain official or legal responsibilities.

                            4. Huàn 宦 refers to employing someone as a subordinate of any kind below the rank of a senior minister.

                            5. Yōng 庸 / 傭 refers to hiring someone through promising him a salary.