Taxonomy of meanings for 厲:　　

  • 厲 lì (OC: b-rads MC: liɛi) 力制切 去 廣韻：【惡也亦嚴整也烈也猛也又姓漢有魏郡太守厲温 】
    • =礪WHETSTONE
      • nwhetstone for the initial rougher work (often for the sharpening of larger implements such as weapons)
      • nfigurative"whetstone"
      • nwhetstone, specifically whetstone for the initial rougher work
      • causative: sharpen>SHARP
        • nabactthe process of being sharpened by someone
        • vtoNcausativesharpen (knives/weapons)
        • metaphorical>STIMULATE
            • with words>ENCOURAGE
              • vtoNurge on (towards higher ideals); [encourage; stimulate ][CA]
              • vtoNpassivebe encourage
              • SEVERE
                • nabpsychfierceness
                • vibe ferocious, vicious
                • vipositive(commendably) severe; (properly) strict
                • vtoNbe severe with, treat severely
                • vtoNcausativemake formidable and harsh
                • vadNfierce, unremitting; uncompromisingCH
                • VIOLENT
                    • DAMAGE
                      • abstract>DANGER
                          • PEST
                            • nabfeaturepestilence, plague
                            • v[adN]one who has pestilence; a leper
                          • DEVIL
                            • nevil spirit of a deceased person
                          • precarious>HIGH
              • STATES
                • NPprLì 厲 (probably identical wit Lài 賴 ) (CHEN PAN 1969, 611-620)
              • =濿CROSS OVER
                • vtoNwade across with one's clothes on
              • RULERS OF JIN
                • RULERS OF ZHENG
                  • RULERS OF ZHOU
                  • 厲 ｌａｉ４《集韻》落蓋切，去泰來。月部。
                    • STATES
                      • NPprLì 厲 (probably identical wit Lài 賴 ) (CHEN PAN 1969, 611-620)

                    Additional information about 厲

                    說文解字: 【厲】，旱石也。从厂、蠆省聲。 〔小徐本無「省」。〕 【力制切】 【𧓽】，或不省。

                      Criteria
                    • SEVERE

                      1. The current general commendatory term for severeness is yán 嚴 (ant. kuān 寬 "lax").

                      2. Zhuāng 莊 (ant. qīng 輕 "unserious") and the somewhat less common jīn 矜 add to the notion of a mild form of severeness the nuance of dignified appearance.

                      3. Sù 肅 (ant. zī 恣 "easy-going") emphasises sternness of attitude.

                      4. Lì 厲 (wēn 溫 "mild") emphasises a willingness to use violence in the administration of government without passing a strong negative or positive judgment on this attitude.

                      5. Kè 刻 (ant. hé 和 "moderate") refers disparagingly to an excessive willingness to use violence in the administration of government.

                      6. Zhòng 重 (ant. qīng 輕 "unserious") refers abstractly to the severeness of punishments.

                      7. Jù4n 峻 (ant. píng 平 "even-handed") refers dramatically to the savageness of punishments.

                      8. Kē 苛 and kù 酷 (ant.* rén 仁 "kind-hearted" and bù rěn 不忍 "be unable to stand") refer to flagrant extravagance in the severeness of punishments.

                    • SHARP

                      1. The most general current word for sharpness both of a point and of a blade is lì 利.

                      2. Ruì 銳 refers to sharpness as pointedness, and typically a sign of excellence.

                      3. Lì 厲／礪 is causative and refers to the sharpening of a tool or a weapon.

                    • WHETSTONE

                      1. Lì 礪 refers to the whetstone which is - according to the SHUOWEN - rather crude. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1116; WANG 1993; 228]

                      2. Lì 厲 is another (perhaps more archaic) term for the lì 礪; it is known already from SHIJING: HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 1, pp. 936; YANG 2000: 57 - 58; WANG 1993; 228]

                      3. Dǐ 砥 refers to the finer whetstone than lì 礪. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1020; WANG 1993; 228]

                      4. Zhi 底 3 is another term for dǐ 砥 [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 3, pp. 1219; WANG 1993; 228]

                      5. Cuò 錯 refers to a whetstone, and the word occurs already in SHIJING; according to commentaries it was used in processing jades. [XIANG 1997: 93]

                      6. Cuò 厝 is a different term for cuò 錯. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 1, pp. 926]

                      7. Lián (I have not found the character in a list): according to SHUOWEN red whetstone: HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1093]

                      8. Jiān 礛 was used in processing of jades. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1116]

                      9. Xíng 硎 refers to some kind of whetstone which was used to sharpen implements or to brush up jades. [HANYU DACIDIAN: vol. 7, pp. 1042]

                      NB: It is difficult to distinguish these terms which and attribute them to concrete archaeological finds; but it is quite probable that part of them, particularly lì 礪 and lì 厲 were quite simple implements like these illustrated in XIANG 1997: pp. 58, fig. 1, 2. Round grindstones or whetstones seems to be no older than the Warring States period (CHEN 1991: 199).

                    • GRINDSTONE

                      1. Ài 磑 refers to the round grindstone revolving on an axle. It is not completely clear whether the implement to which the word refers was used to grind the grain or to remove the husk. It is also not known when round revolving grindstones actually began to be used. The oldest finds dates from the Warrring States period, and in Han times they were already common.

                      2. Mó 磨 originally referred to the polishing; in Han times the word began to be used for grinding grain and like another term for a grindstone.

                      3. Lóng 礱 refers to the grindstone for removing husk of the grain.

                      NB: It is difficult to distinguish the terms which follows below and attribute them to concrete archaeological finds; but it is at least obvious that part of them, particularly lì 礪 and lì 厲 does not fit the definition given above. Round grindstones seems to be no older than the Warring States period (CHEN 1991: 199) and it is highly probable that particularly archaic whetstones described below were quite simple implements like these illustrated in XIANG 1997: pp. 58, fig. 1, 2]