Taxonomy of meanings for 脅:  

  • 脅 xiàn (OC: qhloms MC: hiɐm) 許欠切 去 廣韻:【妨也許欠切二 】
  • 脅 xié (OC: qhlob MC: hiɐp) 虚業切 入 廣韻:【胷脅虚業切九 】
    • ARMPIT
      • narmpit and ribs on the side of the body
    • BONE
      • nribs
      • npost-NN's ribsDS
    • RIB
      • nrib
    • THREATEN
      • vtoNthreaten; put under pressure; oppress
      • vtoNpassivebe threatened; be put under pressure
    • SIDE
      • HOLD
        • SURNAMES
          • = 翕
          • = 拹
        • 脅 xiàn (OC: hlams MC: hiɐm) 許欠切 去 廣韻:【妨也許欠切二 】

          Additional information about 脅

          說文解字: 【脅】,兩𦜶也。从肉、劦聲。 〔小徐本「劦」作「脅」。〕 【虛業切】

            Criteria
          • ARMPIT

            [BASIC/MARGINAL]

            [COMMON/RARE]

            1. The specific word for the armpit is yè 腋.

            [BASIC]; [[COMMON]]

            2. Xié 脅 "ribs" can be used to refer to the area of the armpits, and the word is also used for "carrying under one's armpit".

            [MARGINAL]; [[RARE]]

          • MUTILATE

            1. The commonest form of mutilating punishment was yuè 刖 "amputation of the foot".

            2. Yì 劓 refers to the mutilation of the nose.

            3. Bìn 臏 refers to the mutilation of the knee-cap which gave its name to the famous warfare specialist Sūn Bìn 孫臏.

            4. Zhé xiě 折脅 refers to the crushing of ribs.

            NB: The other words in this group are mercifully rare.

          • THREATEN

            1. The current general word for threatening is xié 脅.

            2. Pò 迫 emphasises the direct or even physical element of coercion, proximity between actor and patient, and the word is remarkably common in passive usages.

            3. Bī 逼 / 偪 refers to a mild form of often emotionally based more indirect pressure, and the word is commonly an active transitive verb with a direct object.

            4. Xié 挾 refers to gaining control over someone and then trying to force him to do as one tells him.

          • BONE

            1. By far the most general and current word for all kinds of bones is gǔ 骨.

            [GENERAL]; [[CURRENT+]]

            2. Hái 骸 refers to the set of bones that constutute the skeleton in a living or dead person, and the word is often used collectively to refer by synecdoche either to the living or to the dead body.

            [COLLECTIVE]

            3. Gé 骼 refer to the set of bones that constitute the skeleton.

            [ARCHAIC], [COLLECTIVE], [GENERAL] [TECHNICAL-TERM]; [[RARE]]

            3. Gàn 幹 refers to the backbone or to the ribs as the bones which hold up the shape of the chest.

            [SPECIFIC], [TECHNICAL-TERM]

            4. Xié 脅 refers specifically to the ribs. See RIB

            [SPECIFIC]; [[CURRENT]]

            Word relations
          • Assoc: (THREATEN)恐/FRIGHTEN Kǒng 恐 is sometimes used causatively and intensitively to refer to terrifying someone.
          • Assoc: (THREATEN)迫/THREATEN Pò 迫 emphasises the direct or even physical element of coercion, proximity between actor and patient, and the word is remarkably common in passive usages.