CREATURE 生物
LIVING THING.
BEAST
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The general term for any living creature of any kind is wù 物.
Modern Chinese Criteria
生物
rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Words (24 items)
眾生 zhòng shēng OC: tjuŋs sraaŋ MC: tɕuŋ ʂɣaŋ 27 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPthe multitude of living creatures; BUDDH: the multitude of sentient beings (this is the Buddhist standard term for animate beings; usually referring to human beings but basically also including animals and sometimes even vegetation); skr. sattva
- NPcsentient being
- NPindefiniteany sentient living creature; a sentient creature
- NPpluralBUDDH: the multitude of sentient beings (contextually identifyable and specified) (this is the Buddhist standard term for animate beings; usually referring to human beings but basically also including animals and sometimes even vegetation); skr. sattva
- NPreferentialBUDDH: sentient being (this is an extraordinary case where 眾生 is used referential and in the singular!); skr. sattva
- NPsingulara sentient being; any sentient being; just an ordinary sentient being
物 wù OC: mɯd MC: mi̯ut 21 Attributions
The general term for any living creature of any kind is wù 物.
- Syntactic words
- n(kind of) living creature 百物; 天物 "the creatures of this world that are from Heaven"
有情 yǒu qíng OC: ɢʷɯʔ dzeŋ MC: ɦɨu dziɛŋ 8 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NP[adN]BUDDH: endowed with sensation > sentient being (as opposed to 無情 inanimate things) (this term for sattva was introduced by Xuánzàng 玄奘 (600-664), although the older term zhòngshēng 眾生 remained more popular; originally both terms were a translation of the same Sanskrit word but eventually yǒuqíng came to be used paricularily for creatures with mental activities, whereas zhòngshēng can be used more generally for 'living being', including plant life; the term yǒuqíng is also less neutral, since it gives also emphasis to the notion of qíng 情, i.e. that living beings (particularily human beings) are characterized by deluded mental activities); SANSKRIT sattva
- VPiBUDDH: be endowed with sensation > be a sentient being (as opposed to 無情 be inanimate) (this term for sattva was introduced by Xuánzàng 玄奘 (600-664), although the older term zhòngshēng 眾生 remained more popular; originally both terms were a translation of the same Sanskrit word but eventually yǒuqíng came to be used paricularily for creatures with mental activities, whereas zhòngshēng can be used more generally for 'living being', including plant life; the term yǒuqíng is also less neutral, since it gives also emphasis to the notion of qíng 情, i.e. that living beings (particularily human beings) are characterized by deluded mental activities); SANSKRIT sattva
生 shēng OC: sraaŋ MC: ʂɣaŋ 6 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- npluralliving being (often clearly including humans, but frequently indistinguishable from the examples collected under ANIMAL)
群品 qún pǐn OC: ɡlun phrɯmʔ MC: gi̯un phim 5 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPindefiniteBUDDH: sentient beings (this is a widely used translation of skr. sattva)
群生 qún shēng OC: ɡlun sraaŋ MC: gi̯un ʂɣaŋ 5 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPliving creaturesLZ
- NPplaceBUDDH: the multitude of beings > sentient beings (more common is zhòngshēng 眾生); skr. sattva
庶物 shù wù MC: syoH mjut OC: qhljaɡs mɯd 5 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPthe ordinary creatures of this world (other than men)CH
生物 shēng wù OC: sraaŋ mɯd MC: ʂɣaŋ mi̯ut 3 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPliving creatures; animate creatures
- NPcolloquialliving creature (including plants and animals)
非人 fēi rén OC: pɯl njin MC: pɨi ȵin 2 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPnon-humanBUDDH: non-human animate creatures
恆沙 héng shā OC: ɡɯɯŋ sraal MC: ɦəŋ ʂɣɛ 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- NPsubject=pluralBUDDH: those which are numerous like the Ganges River > the numerous creatures; the countless living beings
生者 shēng zhě OC: sraaŋ kljaʔ MC: ʂɣaŋ tɕɣɛ 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- NPnonreferentialliving creatures
天物 tiān wù OC: lʰiin mɯd MC: then mi̯ut 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- NPdefinitethe creatures of this world, which are from Heaven
異類 yì lèi OC: p-lɯɡs ruds MC: jɨ li 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- NPnonreferentialBUDDH: other categories > referring to non-human types of existence such as gods, demons, humgry ghosts, animals or residents of hell
情 qíng OC: dzeŋ MC: dziɛŋ 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- nsubject=pluralBUDDH: those who have mental activity, those endowed the feelings > sentient beings
群物 qún wù MC: -- mjut OC: -- mɯd 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- NPpluraldefinite: all the various creatures (of the world)CH
四生 sì shēng OC: plids sraaŋ MC: si ʂɣaŋ 1 Attribution
- Syntactic words
- NPbuddhistBUDDH: the four born ones > the four type of beings existing the Three Realms, san1jiè 三界 and Six Destinies, liùdào 六道 (these creatures are divided ino those being born from an egg (obivprous, luǎnshēng 卵生), born from the womb of mammals (viviparous, tāishēng 胎生), born from moisture (shīshēng 濕生), usually referring to insects the eggs of which are not easily detectable; born through transformation (huàshēng 化生), referring to gods and residents of hell, both of them being born based on their karma)
濕生 shī shēng OC: qhljɯb sraaŋ MC: ɕip ʂɣaŋ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPbuddhistBUDDH: creatures born from moisture (often used for insects and similar animals with tiny eggs which are difficult to detect; see liùshēng 六生)
化生 huà shēng OC: hŋʷraals sraaŋ MC: hɣɛ ʂɣaŋ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPbuddhistBUDDH: creatures born through transformation (such as gods and hell-dwellers who have been reborn based on their karma; see sìshēng 四生)
胎生 tāi shēng OC: lʰɯɯ sraaŋ MC: thəi ʂɣaŋ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPbuddhistBUDDH: creatures born from the womb (see sìshēng 四生)
卵生 luǎn shēng OC: ɡ-roonʔ sraaŋ MC: lʷɑn ʂɣaŋ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPbuddhistBUDDH: creatues born from eggs (see sìshēng 四生)
受造者 shòu zào zhě OC: djuʔ sɡuuʔ kljaʔ MC: dʑɨu dzɑu tɕɣɛ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPcreature
命 mìng OC: mɢreŋs MC: mɣaŋ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- nsubject=pluralthose living > creatures 眾命
一切眾生 yī qiè zhòng shēng OC: qliɡ snʰiids tjuŋs sraaŋ MC: ʔit tshei tɕuŋ ʂɣaŋ 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPpluralthe creatures of the world
Click here to add pinyin MC: OC: 0 Attributions
- Syntactic words
- NPpluraldefinite: all the various creatures (of the world)CH