Taxonomy of meanings for 因:
- yīn (OC: qin MC: ʔin) 於真切 平 廣韻：【託也仍也縁也就也亦姓左傳遂人四族有因氏俗作囙於眞切二十三 】
- CAUSE
- nabmetaphysicalcause
- action> RELY ON
- nN=humanthose one relies on ???
- vadNreliable, that can be relied on; 因國 a state to rely on
- vt[oN]rely on circumstances, adjust to circumstances
- vt+prep+Nrely on, depend on
- vtoN.adVrelying on, with the help of; on the basis of
- vtoNbase oneself on (as the the Shang dynasty on the institutions of the Xia), utilise as a basis, utilise as a basis for power; make use of; rely on, take advantage of
- vtoNpassivebe relied on 可因者
- vt(oN)base oneself on the contextually determinate N
- object> BASIS
- nabmetaphysicalbasis; power base
- vt(oN.)adVbasing oneself on N to go on to VCH
- vtoNmiddle voicebe based onCH
- temporal> THEREUPON
- vadVthereupon, on that occasion
- vadS1.post-S2thereupon; afterwards;DS
- grammaticalised:logical> THEN
- vt(oN.)adVomin accordance with the contextually determinate state of affairs> and then; accordingly; thereupon immediately; on that basis, thus; and so
- argumentative> THEREFORE
- vadS1.post-S2subjective motivationand, accordingly,....; therefore
- vt(+N.)adV1:postV2because of V2ing, the subject V1ed> therefore
- vt(+N1.)adV{PRED}:postN2{SUBJ}:the subject N2 for reason N1 V-ed
- vt(oN.)adV:postN[SU]::postSthus, therefore
- grammaticalised> BECAUSE
- vt+prep+Nbe because of N
- vtoN.adVon the basis of 因之（以）, because of
- vtoNPab{S}because of the state of affairs described in NPab[S]
- vtoS1.adS2on the occasion of S1, S2 (expressing both cause and time); sometimes in the construction 因。。。次
- vtoS1.adS2subjectivebecause
- vt(oN.)adVbecause of the contextually determinate NCH
- vt(oN.)adVbecause of that; under these conditionsCH
- grammaticalised> PASSIVE MARKER
- vtoN.+V{PASS}by
- verbal> CONFORM
- vt(oN)conform to or keep on the right side of the contextually determinate N; adapt to circumstances
- vtoN.adVin accordance with
- vtoNadapt to, go along with; conform to the conditions/wishes of
- vttoN1(.+N2)make N1 conform to the contextually determinate N2
- vtoNpassivebe adapted toCH
- =茵> STRAW MAT
- n(comfortable) large mattress to sit or sleep on; (also used in vehicles)
- CAUSE
Additional information about 因
說文解字: 【因】，就也。从囗、大。 【徐鍇曰：《左傳》曰：植有禮因重固能大者，眾圍就之。】 【於眞切】
- Criteria
- LOGIC
因明
- BASIS
[ABSTRACT/CONCRETE]
[[COMMON/RARE]]
[DYNAMIC/STATIC]
[GENERAL/SPECIFIC]
1. The basic word is běn 本 "the trunk, the main part" (ant. mò 末 "marginal part") and this word refers to the crucial constituent of something in any sense.
[GENERAL], [STATIC]; [[COMMON]]
2. Duān 端 "beginning" (ant. mò 末 "marginal part") is current in the meaning "initial crucial element, initiating fundamental property", and this is a very philosophial subtle word which conceives of what is crucial as dynamically affecting the rest.
[ABSTRACT], [DYNAMIC]
3. Gēn 根 "the root from which things spring" (ant. miǎo 杪 "small twig") is often used together with běn 本, but can also by itself be used in metaphorical senses, but the word is much rarer than běn 本 in this meaning.
[STATIC]
4. Jī 基 is sometimes used in a literal sense of "foundation on which something rests", but the word is common in figurative senses as in "the solid foundations of the state".
[CONCRETE], [STATIC]
5. Zōng 宗 is ethereal and always abstract, sometimes even purely semantic in meaning.
[ABSTRACT], [STATIC]; [[RARE]]
6. Yīn 因 (ant. guǒ 果 "result") is causal in meaning and emphasises the dynamic causal link between the yīn 因 and whatever is based on it.
[GENERAL], [DYNAMIC]
- BECAUSE
Giving reasons for a statements made, by a single appended clause giving an explanation, motivation, justification, or demonstration, turns out to be not as common as one might have thought. Yīnwéi 因為 "because" is not classical Chinese. "Brutus killed Caesar because he hated him" would become in classical Chinese "Brutus hated Caesar and accordingly/therefore he killed him." The current conceptual fields are THEREFORE and "in order to" under INTEND. The only word that "feels" anything like the English "because" is the final particle yě 也 "this was because, this is because".
1. The standard word is yǐ 以 "by reason of" which can refer to objective causes as well as subjective motivation, but never logical reasoning, and the reason adduced by this word may even be a pretext.
[GENERAL]; [[vt+N.adV, vt+N.postV]]
2. Yīn 因 "on the basis of" typically refers to the basis on which something is done, and sometimes to some kind of deliberate and strategic accommodation to objective conditions.
[[vtadV]]
3. Yóu 由 "be because of" emphasises the "wherefrom" of something, the objective reason from which something flows. It is rare in early texts meaning "be because", but became common at later stages of the language.
[OBJECTIVE]; [[RARE]], [[vtadV]]
4. Wéi 為 sometimes introduces a reason for something that is then introduced by gù 故 "therefore" or by yīn 因 "therefore".
[OBJECTIVE]; [vt+N.postS]
5. Sentence-final yě 也 often marks because-clauses, and the reason given is rarely psychological, sometimes objective, quite often logical: S 也 meaning "it is/was because of S".
[[ppostS]]
6. Wéi 為 sometimes introduces a reason for something that is then introduced by gù 故 "therefore" or by yīn 因 "therefore".
- CHANGE
1. The most current general words for objective and typically abrupt change are biàn 變 "change FROM one's original state to become something different" (ant. héng 恆 "remain constant").
2. Huà 化 (ant. cháng 常 "remain constant") refers to irreversible change INTO a fundamentally new state, while retaining one's identity".
3. Gǎi 改 refers to a deliberate change brought about at a certain point in time, typically in order to improve a situation. See IMPROVE
4. Gēng 更 is an act of deliberately changing something, typically by replacing it by an improved version of the same kind of thing in order to insure continuity.
5. Gé 革 (ant. yīn 因 "continue the tradition") refers to a typically unlicenced act of replacing the old by something new.
6. Yì 易 refers prototypically to a change construed as brought about by a process of interchange and (often mutual) replacement.
7. Dòng 動 refers to change construed as the moving from a previous stable state.
8. Xǐ 徙 refers to making the object moved unstable.
9. Yí 移 refers to a change in a current situation so as to effect a certain development in a desired direction.
10. Yú 渝 is to change a current situation or an object, generally to the worse, and the word is remarkably often negated.
11. Qiān 遷 (ant. 滯 "stay put in one place, unable to move") refers typically to change of one's current condition brought about by oneself.
12. Fǎn 反 refers to a change resulting in the reverting to one's original state. See RETURN vt.fig
13. Zhuǎn 轉 refers to change typically construed as part of a cycle of changes.
- RELY ON
1. The general term for relying on something with confidence is yīn 因.
2. Yī 依 refers to dependence and reliance on something which may be deliberate or non-deliberate.
3. Běn 本 refers to an abstract often almost metaphysical or logical dependence on something.
4. Dài 待 refers to logical dependence on something
5. Rén 任 typically refers to reliance on someone inferior in the context of public administration.
6. Yǎng 仰 typically refers to hopeful reliance on a superior.
7. Chéng 乘 refers to manifest deliberate reliance on some external condition for the furthering of one's own plans.
8. Jiè 藉 / 借 and jiǎ 假 refer to availing oneself of conveniently available outside things for one's own purposes.
9. Jì 寄 and tuō 託 refer to entrusting oneself to others and thus relying on them.
10. Shì 恃 and the rare hù 怙 refer to reliance on a typically hidden basic resource or factor.
- CONFORM
1. Perhaps the most general and the most current word describing conformity to a norm is shùn 順 (ant. nì 逆 "go against").
2. Yóu 由 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking something as one's starting point or point of orientation.
3. Dào 道 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking one's model to define the way of doing things for one.
4. Yǐ 以 refers to conformity construed as a matter of availing oneself of something as an instrument or guideline.
5. Yīn 因 refers to conformity construed as a matter of adapting to pre-existing models or rules.
6. Yuán 緣 refers to conformity construed as a matter of following something attentively in all details as a guideline.
7. Shǒu 守 refers to conformity construed as a matter of guarding a precedent or a tradition.
8. Zhōu 周 and hé 合 (all ant. fǎn 反 "go against the model") refer to complete all-round conformity construed as overall identification with a model.
9. Chèn 稱 refers to conformity construed as a matter of balancing one's actions against a standard.
10. Yìng 應 and
shì 適 refer to conformity construed as a matter of responding adequately to given facts.
12. Cóng 從 and suí 隨 refer to conformity construed as a matter of following a lead.
12. Tīng 聽 refers specifically to a superior acting in conformity with his inferior's suggestions.
- CAUSE
1. The general word primarily for something further back in time causing something later in time, but also applied to logical grounds of any kind is gù 故, and the image is that of a solid background against which something is happening. Both subjective reasons and objective causes are referred to by this word.
2. Yīn 因 is what an animate or inanimate agent bases himself on in order to develop or act, and the image is that of leaning on it.
3. Yóu 由 and zì 自 are only occasionally nominalised and metaphorically construe the ground as something from which the consequence "flows", and the image is that of a source from which an action or a process flows.
4. Yǐ 以 is only occasionally nominalised and construes the grounds as something used by the consequence in order for it to be established, and the image is of the use a subject makes, in the course of some action, of something else.
5. Yuán 緣 is construed as grounds one uses as a guideline, and yuán 緣 always indicates grounds used by a person, and the image is of a guideline one follows in action.
6. Jī 機 is an objective cause construed metaphorically as a triggering mechanism for what is caused, and the image is of a mechanism triggering an event or an action.