FLOAT    浮浮

MOVE ON the SURFACE of of OR IN a LIQUID.
DRIFTGLIDESAILSLIPSLIDEWAFTSTAY AFLOATSTAY ON THE SURFACEBE BUOYANTBE BUOYED UP
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The general word for floating of any kind, also of clouds in the air, is fú 浮 (ant. chén 沉 ). 2. Piāo 漂 refers to floating in the air. 3. Fàn 泛, fàn 氾, and fàn 汎 seem to be dialect variants of a word for drifting on water, typically aimlessly. (It is to be noted that the three words, though close in pronunciation, are by no means homophonous in ancient pronunciation. One should think they must be etymologically related.)
黄金貴：古漢語同義詞辨釋詞典
HUANG JINGUI 2006 COMMUNICATIONS 43. 浮，泛舟、水行。 刺，用篙刺入水中撐船前行。 櫂，用長槳划船。 枻，用小槳劃漁船、小船，狀隱逸之志。 擊汰，從槳類工具對水面的拍擊而稱划船。 劃，從槳類工具划開水面而稱划船。
Modern Chinese Criteria
漂 浮 泛 汆 浮動 浮泛 漂浮 懸浮 漂流 漂移 飄蕩 飄悠 飄忽 飄游 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hyponym
  • SWIM　FLOAT on the SURFACE of WATER, NOT USING TOOLS. (anc: 12/0, child: 0)
Hypernym
  • MOVE　CHANGE PLACE OR SITUATION. (anc: 10/0, child: 21)
  • CHANGE　EVENT involving two MOMENTS t1 and t2, such that a THING at the MOMENT t1 is DIFFERENT FROM that THING at the MOMENT t2. (anc: 9/0, child: 18)
  • EVENT　REALITY that ARISES in TIME. (anc: 8/0, child: 4)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 10.34

  • 王力古漢語字典 ( WANG LI 2000) p. 570

  • Chinese Synonyms Usage Dictionary ( TENG SHOU-HSIN 1996) p. 344

    • Words (18 items)

    浮  fú OC: bu MC: bɨu 22 Attributions

    The general word for floating of any kind, also of clouds in the air, is fú 浮 (ant. chén 沉).

      Syntactic words
    • vadNfloating; loose, baseless (explanations); undefined
    • vadNfree-flowing, untrammelledCH
    • vadNfigurative"floating" (mountain peaks)
    • viprocessfloat
    • vt+prep+Nfloat in/at
    • vtoNfloat along on
    • vtoNdrift along over, float acrossCH
    • vtoNcausativecause (oneself) to float
    • vttoN1.+N2permissiveallow to float aboutCH
    汎  fàn MC: phjomH OC: phloms 8 Attributions

    Fàn 泛, fàn 氾, and fàn 汎 seem to be dialect variants of a word for drifting on water, typically aimlessly. (It is to be noted that the three words, though close in pronunciation, are by no means homophonous in ancient pronunciation. One should think they must be etymologically related.)

      Word relations
    • Oppos: 沈 / 沈/SINK The most current general word for the process sinking is probably chén 沈 (ant. fú 浮 "float").

      Syntactic words
    • vadNdrifting, floating along
    • vifloat about (aimlessly); drift
    • vi.reddrift freely
    流  liú OC: ru MC: lɨu 6 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadNfloating, billowing
    • vadNfigurativefloating, passing along
    • viactcontinuative: float alongCH
    • vifigurativefloat along in> revel inCH
    • vtoNcause to float along (one's glance etc)CH
    • vtt(oN1).+vtoN2causativelet the contextually determinate N1 float in N2DS
    氾  fàn OC: phoms MC: phi̯ɐm 5 Attributions

    Fàn 泛, fàn 氾, and fàn 汎 seem to be dialect variants of a word for drifting on water, typically aimlessly. (It is to be noted that the three words, though close in pronunciation, are by no means homophonous in ancient pronunciation. One should think they must be etymologically related.)

      Syntactic words
    • vadNfloating
    • vifloat
    • vi-Pfloat freely, float about
    • vi.redkeep floating along
    漂  piāo OC: phew MC: phiɛu 3 Attributions

    Piāo 漂 refers to floating in the air.

      Syntactic words
    • vadNdrifting along
    • vifloat; drift ??
    • vt+prep+NN=placefloat into, drift to
    • vtoNcausativecause N to float awayDS
    翼  yì OC: p-lɯɡ MC: jɨk 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • viintensitiveglide along
    • vtoNfloat across
    流轉  liú zhuǎn OC: ru tonʔ MC: lɨu ʈiɛn 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurativefloat
    • VPtoNfloat in
    泛  fàn OC: phoms MC: phi̯ɐm 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadNfloating
    • vifloat along
    • vtoNN=placefloat on N
    浮沈  fú chén OC: bu ɡrlum MC: bɨu ɖim 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPiprocessbob up and down; float up and down
    浮漂  fú piāo MC: bjuw -- OC: bu phew 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurativeliterary: float about stylistically in an unstable mannerCH
    流馳  liú chí OC: ru rlal MC: lɨu ɖiɛ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPiactfloat along
    • VPtoNN=placefloat in a place
    浮騰  fú téng MC: bjuw dong OC: bu lɯɯŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nabfigurativefloating up and down in the flow of existenceCH
    漂浪  piāo làng OC: phew ɡ-raaŋs MC: phiɛu lɑŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNfigurativefloat in
    沿  yán MC: ywen  OC: lon 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • viactfloat along with, float along inCH
    浮漂  fú piāo MC: bjuw -- OC: bu phew 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurativeliterary: float about stylistically in an unstable mannerCH
      Click here to add pinyin MC:  OC: 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurativeliterary: float about stylistically in an unstable mannerCH
    淠  pì OC: phrids MC: phi 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vifloat
    瀾  lán OC: ɡ-raan MC: lɑn 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vibillow