Taxonomy of meanings for 食:　　

  • shí (OC: ɢljɯɡ MC: ʑɨk) 乘力切 入 廣韻：【飲食大戴禮曰食穀者智惠而巧古史考曰古者茹毛飲血燧人鑚火而人始裹肉而燔之曰炮及神農時人方食穀加米干燒石之上而食之及黄帝始有釜甑火食之道成矣又戲名博屬又用也僞也亦姓風俗通云漢有博士食于公河内人乗力切二 】
  • yì (OC: ɡ-lɯɡs MC: jɨ) 羊吏切 去 廣韻：【人名漢有酈食其又音蝕 】
    • EAT
      • nabacteating regime, diet; food consumption
      • nabactact of eating; meal; time of a meal
      • vadNfor eating 食器 "eating utensils"
      • vt(oN)eat the contextually determinate substance
      • vt(oNm)feed on the contextually determinate kind of substances Nm
      • vt[oN]eat food, eat a meal; have a meal
      • vtoNeat; feed on; live on
      • vtoNpassivebe eaten; be eaten up
      • vtoNsubj=nonhumanfeed on, eat (of animals); live on
      • vtoNmdurativefeed on
      • vtpostN{OBJ}feed regularly on N
      • vt+prep+Nfigurativefeed on, live by
      • vt[oN]inchoativestart eatingLZ
      • vt(oN)start eating the food/meal offeredCH
      • vtoNperfectiveeat upCH
      • vt(oN)partlyeat any ofCH
      • vtoNimperativeeat N!CH
      • vadVwhen eatingLZ
      • vttoN1.+N2permissiveallow N1 to live on/eat N2CH
      • vtoNconativetry to eat NLZ
      • vtoNderiveddine onCH
      • vtoNmetonymyto eat food characterised by N (e.g. taste)LZ
      • causative> FEED
        • vtoNgive something to eat to (a person or sometimes an animal); provide for the subsistence of
        • nabactthe giving something (poisonous) to eat
        • vtoNcausativepassive: be fed 血食 "be fed with blood"
        • vt(oN)to feed (the contextually defined object)
        • vtoNreflexive.自feed (oneself)
        • vtt(oN1.)+N2feed the contextually determinate thing to the eater N2
        • vttoN1.+N2feed N1 to N2
        • vtt N1 prep N2N1=recipientgive N1 to eat N2; feed N1 with N2DS
        • vtoNcausativefeed; serve a meal toCH
      • specifically> DRINK
        • vtoNdrink; metaphorically: absorb liquid
        • vtt[oN1] prep N2suck [milk] at N2DS
        • generalised> SWALLOW
          • vtoNswallow (also metaphorical in 食言)
          • abstract> ACCEPT
            • vtoNaccept; be open to, be amenable to
            • generally> RECEIVE
              • vtoNreceive and enjoy (a salary or an income); eat habitually, live on; live by
              • general> USE
                  • resultative> RELY ON
                    • vtoNrely on for a living, live onCH
                    • action> EARN
                      • vt+prep+Nearn a salary in accordance with
                  • object> SALARY
                    • nnonreferentiallivelihood; level of income, salary in general, on the basis of which one survives; living standards
                    • viactdraw a salary
            • metaphorical:> CONQUER
              • vtoNZGC: "take" a opposing piece in a game
            • metaphorical, of own statements> DENY
              • vtoNdeny 食言 "deny one's earlier statements"
        • action> BITE
          • vtoNbite and injure
          • VPtoNresultativebite
      • metonymy: object> FOOD
        • nmNote that Lù Démíng reads this meaning as sì in several places of 經典釋文: provisions; food supply; staple food; food for general sustenance while at home; (e.g. beg for) something to eat; food supplies; fodder (e.g. for horses)
        • nmfigurative(spiritual) nourishment
        • nmabstractediblesCH
        • nmadVwith nourishment/foodCH
        • typical example> RICE
          • nmrice
        • collective>eaten on one occasion> MEAL
          • nmain meal
          • festive> FEAST
            • viactconduct a formal ritual dinner
            • nabeventfeast
            • vtoNtreat to a formal dinner
      • =蝕 metaphorical> ECLIPSE
        • nab.post-NN=sun or moonsolar or lunar eclipse
      • =飼 causative> FEED
        • vtoNgive something to eat to (a person or sometimes an animal); provide for the subsistence of
        • nabactthe giving something (poisonous) to eat
        • vtoNcausativepassive: be fed 血食 "be fed with blood"
        • vt(oN)to feed (the contextually defined object)
        • vtoNreflexive.自feed (oneself)
        • vtt(oN1.)+N2feed the contextually determinate thing to the eater N2
        • vttoN1.+N2feed N1 to N2
        • vtt N1 prep N2N1=recipientgive N1 to eat N2; feed N1 with N2DS
        • vtoNcausativefeed; serve a meal toCH

      Additional information about 食

      說文解字:

        Criteria
      • FEED

        1. The current general word is sì 食 / 飼 which refers to any action of feeding, and the action of given someone something to drink is yìn 飲.

        2. Yù 飫 is to provide abundant food or even to regale guests.

        3. Xiǎng 享 / 饗 is typically to offer food for the enjoyment and appreciation of the spirits, and very often also for guests. See FEAST.

        4. Xiǎng 餉 is to serve someone a good meal for enjoyment, as a ritual sign of respect.

        5. Cān 餐 is to treat someone to a regular meal, hú 餬 is sometimes used to feed others with a very simple meal.

        6. Shàn 膳 refers to serving an excellent meal to somebody.

        7. Huàn 豢 is specifically to feed grain to pigs.

        8. Mò 秣 is specifically to feed horses with grain.

        9. Bǔ 哺 is specifically to feed babies.

        10. Tuī 摧 refers to giving fodder to animals.

        11. Yè 饁 is to carry food out for informal consumption by people working in the open air.

        12. Wèi 喂 / 餵 refers to feeding animals.

      • FOOD

        1. The general term for food is shí 食 and this includes food as well as drink and can refer generally to one's livelihood, also to staple foods as opposed to delicacies involving meat, such as kuài 膾 "minced meat, raw".

        2. Fàn 飯 which refers to basic foodstuff, usually rice and cereals.

        3. Shū 疏, sūn 飧, cū 粗 refer to crude foodstuffs, grain-based or vegetable based.

        4. Liáng 糧 refers to grain-based ordinary plain food.

        5. Hūn 葷 refers to non-vegetarian food.

        NB: This group needs to be elaborated.

      • ECLIPSE

        1. The common general term for an eclipse is shí 蝕 (the earlier form being shí 食 ). It can refer both to a solar eclipse (rì shí 日蝕 ) or lunar eclipse (yuè shí 月蝕 ).

        2. Shěng 眚 is a term for an eclipse (both solar and lunar) laying an emphasis on its catastrophical connotations.

        3. Quēyǐng 闕景 refers to a solar eclipse.

      • EAT

        1. The general word is shí 食 which refers to any form of taking in food, but the word is probably primarily a noun meaning "food". Cf. 飯疏食 "dine on coarse food".

        2. Gān 甘 is to enjoy a meal or to enjoy food on a given occasion.

        3. Rú 茹 is to eat a routine meal in order to still one's hunger.

        4. Fú 服 ingest or imbibe for a purpose, typical a medical purpose.

        5. Dàn 啖 is to eat quickly oneself and dàn 啗 is to cause someone to swallow.

        6. Fàn 飯 is to dine on some basic foodstuff, and the word is secondarily a noun meaning "foodstuff, staple food".

        7. Cháng 嘗 is to eat something for the purpose of experiencing the taste of it, rather than for the purpose of filling one's stomach.

        8. Bǎo 飽 refers specifically to eating enough or having eaten enough and is most current as an intransitive verb.

        9. Yàn 厭 / 饜 refers to eating more than enough is mostly used transitively.

        10. Cān 餐 is a formal or poetic word referring to the eating of a desirable meal.

        Word relations
      • Conv: (FEED)食於/FEED
      • Result: (EAT)飽/EAT Bǎo 飽 refers specifically to eating enough or having eaten enough and is most current as an intransitive verb.
      • Ant: (EAT)吐/VOMIT The most current general term for emitting anything from the mouth is tù 吐. See also SPIT
      • Object: (EAT)肉/MEAT The current general word for meat as something edible is ròu 肉.
      • Contrast: (EAT)啖/EAT Dàn 啖 is to eat quickly oneself and dàn 啗 is to cause someone to swallow.
      • Contrast: (EAT)服/EAT Fú 服 ingest or imbibe for a purpose, typical a medical purpose.
      • Assoc: (EAT)吞/EAT
      • Assoc: (EAT)啄/BITE Zhuó 啄 is the biting or pecking of birds.
      • Assoc: (FOOD)穀 / 谷/GRAIN Gǔ 谷/穀 is general term for a food grain; (in some local dialects, it can also refer to foxtail millet (Setaria italica)).
      • Assoc: (FOOD)簞/FOOD BASKET Dān 簞 is put in food a basket of round shape and with a cover. [SUN 1991: 344; ill.: SUN 1991: 86-8]
      • Assoc: (FOOD)衣/GARMENT The current general word for garments of any kind is yī 衣, and the word refers specifically to the upper garments like jackets rather than the lower garments like skirts. [HUANG 1995: 711 - 712]
      • Assoc: (FOOD)酒/LIQUOR
      • Assoc: (FOOD)羹/SOUP
      • Assoc: (EAT)飲/DRINK The dominant word for imbibing any liquid, alcoholic or non-alcoholic is yǐn 飲.
      • Synon: (EAT)甘/EAT Gān 甘 is to enjoy a meal or to enjoy food on a given occasion.
      • Synon: (EAT)畜 / 蓄/ACCUMULATE Xù 畜/蓄 refers specifically to accumulation and continuous storage of things for the purpose of sustenance of life or the rearing of domestic animals. [CONCRETE], [SMALL-SCALE] [TRANSITORY]
      • Synon: (EAT)飯/EAT Fàn 飯 is to dine on some basic foodstuff, and the word is secondarily a noun meaning "foodstuff, staple food".
      • Relat: (FOOD)嘗 / 嘗甞/SAVOUR The current word for tasting something, trying to determine its flavour, is cháng 嘗. I have not found any near-synonyms so far.
      • Oppos: (FOOD)飲/DRINK The dominant word for imbibing any liquid, alcoholic or non-alcoholic is yǐn 飲.