Taxonomy of meanings for 陳:  

  • chén (OC: ɡrliŋ MC: ɖɯin) 直珍切 平 廣韻:【陳列也張也衆也布也故也亦州名本太昊之墟畫八卦之所周武王封舜後胡公滿於陳楚滅陳爲縣漢爲淮陽國隋爲陳州又姓胡公滿之後子孫以國爲氏出穎川汝南下邳廣陵東海河南六望又虜三字姓後魏書有侯莫陳氏直珍切又直刃切五 】
    • DEPLOY
      • vadNlined-up, arrayed
      • vt[oN]deploy, get properly lined up
      • vtoNlay out physically, display and deploy; line up
      • vtoNpassivebe properly deployed and arranged (for battle etc)
      • state> BATTLE ARRAY
        • viactline up in battle array
        • vi+prep+Nline up in battle array at the place NTW
      • general> ARRANGE
        • vtoNarrange in order (so as to survey etc)
        • vistand in a row; get arrangedDS
        • vttoN1.+prep+N2passiveN1 is arranged in the place N2DS
        • architectural straight lined up structure> CORRIDOR
          • nSHI: covered passageway in palace
        • for display> SHOW
          • vtoNmanifest through action, display through action; deploy visibly
          • vtoNpassivebe publicly displayed (in the market place)
          • vttoN1+.vtoN2to show N1 to N2, to manifest N1 (through action) to N2
          • using language> EXPLAIN
            • vtoNlay out in words; set forth, put forward; bring out into the open
            • vtoNprepositionto explain (something) 以; to lay out clearly (something)
            • vtoNpassivebe laid out clearly, be made explicit; be publicly pronounced (of words)
            • vadNpassiveexplainedCH
            • by giving features> DESCRIBE
              • vtoNlay out in a detailed descriptionCH
            • addressing information to audience> REPORT
              • vtoNreport; announce (subject: superior)
              • generalised>> SPEAK
                • vadNpassiveputr forward, uttered
                • viactexpress an opinion, put something forward
                • vt(oN)imperativespeak about a contextually determiate thing
                • vtoNexpress (a promise etc), put forward (a statement etc)
          • already shown, hence> OLD-FASHIONED
              • general> OLD
                • nsubjectwhat is old; the old stuff (not of aged persons or old animals)
                • vadNold
                • vibe no longer quite fresh
                • alternative result> TASTELESS
                  • vadNtasteless; stale; not fresh
                • result> ROTTEN
                  • vadNrotten; stale
                • general> ENDURING
        • proper names> STATES
          • nprname of a state
          • npradNof Chen; belonging to ChenDS
      • personal consorts> RULER'S CONSORTS
        • NPprUnger no. 69, Wife of 子義 (693-680), consort of 晉文公 (672-628)

        Additional information about 陳

        說文解字:

          Criteria
        • SHOW

          1. The most general word for making anything visible is shì 示 (ant. hán 含 "keep to oneself").

          2. Xiàn 見 / 現 (ant. bì 蔽 "make invisible to others,") refers to making visible what is there.

          3. Xiǎn 顯 (ant. yǐn 隱 "hide from sight") is to make something prominently visible to wider audience.

          4. Yáng 揚 (ant. yì 抑 "suppress and keep from general knowledge") is to make something universally visible to the general public.

          5. Zhù 著 (ant. bì 蔽 "block from sight") is to show something up as deserving great attention.

          6. Chén 陳 (ant. cáng 藏 "hide") is to lay out something so as to make it accessible to inspection.

          7. Zhāo 昭 (yōu 幽 "keep in obscurity") is to cast light over something so as to make it accessible to wide appreciation.

          8. Zhāng 彰 (ant. yì 抑 is to give proper illustrious public status to something that is held to clearly deserve such recognition.

          9. Zhú 燭 (ant. yǐn 隱 "keep in the dark") is to cast enought light on something dark in order to make it visible.

          10. Pù 暴 is to make accessible to view what is covered and therefore inaccessible to inspection.

        • DEPLOY

          1. The current general word for deploying troops is chén 陳 which connotes arrangement of things in ordered formations, and the more general yòng 用.

          2. Zhāng 張 emphasises the spreading out of the troops.

          3. Cuò 錯 / 措 emphasises the putting in place of the troops.

        • EXPLAIN

          1. The current general word for a discursive "analytical" explanation of something that is not sufficiently clear in itself is shuō 說.

          2. Yán 言 refers to the explicit articulation of something, and the emphasis often is on the initiative taken to undertake this explanation.

          3. Chén 陳 refers to the laying out of something clearly so as to make it accessible to an overview and a clear understanding of the contents of what is laid out, and the social context is typically that of an inferior laying something out for superiors.

          4. Míng 明 is to throw intellectual light on something by any means, including illustration as well as historical explanation or definition.

          5. Yù 喻 / 諭 refers to making clear to others what is very clear to oneself, and the means is often comparsion or illustration, yù 諭 tending to be used for making something clear through words in later texts, and yù 喻 for explanation by comparison or metaphor.

          6. Jiě 解 refers primarily to the unravelling of something that would appear convoluted and non-transparent without the effort of intellectual unravelling.

          7. Shì 釋 is late and refers to explanation with special reference to individual difficult points.

          8. Shù 述 refers to laying out for others what oneself or others have done or said in the past.

          9. Xù 敘 refers to laying out something in an orderly manner, often in conversation with equals and in a confidential context, and the word became current in Han times.

        • FRESH

          1. The current general word for freshness is xiān 鮮 (ant. fǔ 腐 "gone off, rotten").

          2. Shēng 生 (ant. shú 熟 "cooked") refers to something that has not undergone any form of cooking and remains entirely free from treatment with heat.

          3. Xīn 新 (ant. chén 陳 "stale") refers to something that is fresh and new and still at its best, not having gone off, and not having starting the process of rotting away.

        • BATTLE

          [ACTION/PROCESS]

          [BASIC/MARGINAL]

          [[COMMON/RARE]]

          [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

          [INOFFICIAL/OFFICIAL]

          [LASTING/TEMPORARY]

          1. The general term is zhàn 戰 (ant. hé 和 "ceasing of hostilities, ceasefire") and refers to any military engagement at a given time.

          [GENERAL], [TEMPORARY]

          2. An extended official and centrally organised campaign lasting some time and viewed as a task for the military is yì 役.

          [PROCESS], [LASTING]

          3. Zhēng 征 refers to an official military campaign as conducted by a state. See ATTACK

          [ACTION], [LASTING], [OFFICIAL]

          4. Chén 陳 refers to the the forming of a battle array. See BATTLE ARRAY

          [SPECIFIC]

          5. Jūn 軍 can come to refer generally to military action or military campaigns of any kind.

          [ACTION], [MARGINAL]; [[RARE]]

        • BATTLE ARRAY

          [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

          [NOUN/VERB/PARTICLE]

          1. The general term for a battle array is zhèn 陣.

          [GENERAL], [NOUN!]

          2. Chén 陳 refers to the making of a battle array.

          [GENERAL], [VERB!]

          3. Yàn háng 鴈行/雁行 "alignment of troops at the front of the battle line".

          [SPECIFIC], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

          4. Yú lí 魚麗 refers to a famous way of arranging the totality of one's military forces in Spring and Autumn times. ZUO Huan 5.

          [SPECIFIC], [TECHNICAL-TERM]; [[RARE]]

        • OLD

          1. The general term for old age of living creatures is lǎo 老 "of old age" (ant. shào 少 "still youthful" and yòu 幼 "young"), whereas the general term for things not new is jiù 舊 (ant. xīn 新 "new").

          2. Wǎng 往 (ant. lái 來 "future") refers to times past.

          3. Gù 故 (ant. xīn 新 ) refers to what is a matter of the past which typically has an impact on, or traces in, the present.

          4. Chén 陳 (ant. xīn 新 ) refers to what is stale and no longer new and fresh.

          Word relations
        • Ant: (OLD)新/NEW The current word for something newly invented is xīn 新 (ant. 舊) which generally tends to have negative connotations in cultural contexts but takes on positive connotations when referring to articles of daily use etc..
        • Object: (SPEAK)言/PROMISE Yán 言 refers to a typically somewhat formal speech act by which a person commits himself to a future action. Compare 言而有信 "keep faith when one has promised something".
        • Contrast: (SHOW)列/JUXTAPOSE Liè 列 is to bring together and then bring in line objects or people that naturally belong together.