Taxonomy of meanings for 榮:　　

  • 榮 róng (OC: ɢʷeŋ MC: ɦʷɯiaŋ) 永兵切 平 廣韻：【榮華又姓漢有榮啓期永兵切六 】
    • BLOSSOM
      • nblossom
      • vibe in blossomDS
      • on roof eaves> ORNAMENT
        • feature> FLOURISH
          • vibe in a flourishing state
          • psychologically> HAPPY
            • vi《國語‧晉語四》：『〈狐偃〉曰：‘日，吾來此也，非以〈狄〉為榮，可以成事也……’』〈韋昭〉注：『榮，樂也。』
          • and thus> BEAUTIFUL
              • and thus> FAMOUS
                • nab.post-Nhigh reputation, glorious name
                • vadNglorious
                • vigradedenjoy a high reputation; enjoy glory and honour 莫榮於孝
                • vt+V[0]putativeconsider it an honour to V
                • vtoNcausativegive glory to; cause to become famous
                • vtoNputativeconsider as glorious; feel elated by; find tremendous, be full of admiration for; take pride in
                • nab(post-N)fame (of a contextually determinate person)
                • nabgloryCH
                • vibe glorious, deserve public praiseCH
                • declarative> PRAISE
                  • vienjoy a great reputation, have a resplendent name; be famous everywhereCH
                • socially> NOBLE
                  • viderivedglorious, publicly impressiveCH
                  • nabglorious achievementCH
          • materially> RICH
          • =營 CONFUSED
            • viread yíng: loanword for : be confused
            • vtoNcausativeread yíng: confuse, make confused
            • vadNperplexed, confused
          • RULERS
            • STATES

              Additional information about 榮

              說文解字: 【榮】，桐木也。 〔小徐本無「也」。〕 从木、熒省聲。一曰：屋梠之兩頭起者爲榮。 【永兵切】

                Criteria
              • FLOURISH

                1. The current general word for flourishing or thriving of any kind, abstract or concrete is shèng 盛 (ant. shuāi 衰 "decline").

                2. Chāng 昌 and xīng 興 (all ant. wáng 亡 "be ruined"), and lóng 隆 (ant. tì 替 "decline") refer primarily to the flourishing of political institutions and the like.

                3. Xí 息, zhí 殖, and fān 蕃 refer specifically to the flourishing of flora and fauna.

                4. The literal word for luxuriant growth of plants is mào 茂 (ant. diāo 凋 "dried up").

                5. Róng 榮 (ant. kū 枯 "dried up") refers especially to splendid luxuriance of growth as an admirable sight.

                6. Fēng 豐 (ant.* wěi 萎 "dried up and thin on the ground") refers to rich thick growth, often as an asset.

                7. Fān 蕃 and yù 鬱 (mostly reduplicated yù yù 鬱鬱 ) refer to ample thick growth.

                8. Fú shū 扶疏 is a poetic word referring to luxurious growth of plants.

                NB: There is a remarkable abundance of terminology in this semantic field, and in many cases the distinctions are less than clear.

              • WITHER

                1. The current general word for anything drying up or withering down, also anything like fish which because of lack of water starts rotting, is kū 枯 (ant. rùn 潤 "moist and lush" and róng 榮 "flourish and thrive").

                2. Gǎo 槁 refers specifically to the withering of plants, or to their withered state. The combination kū gǎo 枯槁 is idiomatic.

                3. Wěi 萎 (ant. shèng 盛 "rich and flourishing") refers to plants (and in a transferred usually permanent sense male sexual organs!) shrivilling up and drying out.

                4. Diāo 凋 (ant. mào 茂 "be flourishing") refers to whole plants withering and losing their leaves as a result, but the word may also refer to the loss of leaved because of frost.

                5. Luò 落 refers abstractly and colourlessly to trees losing their leaves.

                6. Líng 零 refers in a more dramatic way to plants other than trees losing their leaves.

              • BLOSSOM

                [COMMON/RARE]

                [DIALECT/STANDARD]

                [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

                [ELEVATED/FAMILIAR]

                [POETIC/PROSAIC]

                1. Huá 華 is the current general word for a flower, ubiquitous in SHJ.

                [GENERAL]

                2. Xiù 秀 refers to the flower as a sign of vigour and health and of an ability to bear fruit, and in many cases one can be in doubt whether the reference is more to vigorous fertility than to flowery aesthetics.

                [PROSAIC]

                3. Róng 榮 can refer in general terms to the flowers of shrubs and trees.

                [ELEVATED], [POETIC], [SPECIFIC]

                4. Pā 葩 is a Qín 秦 dialect word for a blossom.

                [DIALECT]; [[RARE]]

                5. Yīng 英 refers to a flowers which are not in connection with the development of any fruits.

                [SPECIFIC], [POETIC]

              • FAMOUS

                1. The current general term for illustiousness and extraordinary fame is xiǎn 顯 (ant. huì 晦 "obscure").

                2. Míng 明 (ant. yōu 幽 "without any special lustre") adds to the notion of illustriousness that of supernatural authority.

                3. Lōng 隆 and chóng 崇 (all ant. bēi 卑 "humble") adds to the general notion illustriousness overtones of elevated removedness from the world of the ordinary.

                4. Liè 烈 and hè 赫 focus on the image of glamour radiating from those who are illustrious.

                5. Wàng 望 (ant. wēi 微 "of slight fame" and hán 寒 "of no formal distinction") focusses especially on the aspect of illustriousness that consists in profound public admiration.

                6. Wén 聞 is occasionally used to refer to a state of being much heard-of and well-known.

                7. Róng 榮 refers to resplendent glory on a large scale.

                Word relations
              • Ant: (FAMOUS)恥/SHAME The most current word for public shame or disgrace the core of which is public opinion is chǐ 恥, proper respect for which is also called chǐ 恥 "sense for what is publicly disgraceful".
              • Ant: (FAMOUS)賤/VULGAR Jiàn 賤 (ant. shàn 善 "good" and also, along different lines guì 貴 "noble") refers 1. to noble status and 2. very negatively to a person or a piece of behaviour as not conforming to any demands set by nobility of purpose or status. Lòu 陋 (ant. huá 華 "elaborate and cultivated") refers to vulgarity as a negative feature of places (streets) or behaviour.
              • Ant: (FAMOUS)辱/DISGRACE Rǔ 辱 refers to public humiliation and public disgrace typically caused by overt actions or reactions of others.
              • Ant: (NOBLE)辱/DISGRACE Rǔ 辱 refers to public humiliation and public disgrace typically caused by overt actions or reactions of others.
              • Contrast: (BLOSSOM)華/BEAUTIFUL Huá 華"of striking and colourful beauty" (ant. sú 俗 "vulgar") focusses on flourishing and flamboyant superficial or only apparent beauty, on the analogy analogy with that of flowers. [ARTIFICIAL], [ELEVATED], NON-HUMAN], [SUPERFICIAL]
              • Assoc: (FAMOUS)光/FAMOUS Guāng 光 and yào 耀 (ant. diàn 玷 "embarrassing shortcoming") derive their special nuance from the metaphor of radiance.
              • Assoc: (FAMOUS)顯/FAMOUS The current general term for illustiousness and extraordinary fame is xiǎn 顯 (ant. huì 晦 "obscure").