OBSCURE    奧妙玄

DARK so as to be DIFFICULT to SEE, DIFFICULT to UNDERSTAND OR STRANGE to THINK of.
MYSTERIOUSUNCLEARUNCERTAINUNKNOWNIN DOUBTDOUBTFULDUBIOUSMYSTERIOUSHAZYVAGUEINDETERMINATECONCEALEDHIDDENABSTRUSERECONDITEARCANEESOTERICMYSTIFYINGPUZZLINGPERPLEXINGBAFFLINGAMBIGUOUSCRYPTICENIGMATICDELPHICORACULAROBLIQUEOPAQUEELLIPTICALUNINTELLIGIBLEINCOMPREHENSIBLEIMPENETRABLEUNFATHOMABLEINFORMAL AS CLEAR AS MUD
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The current general word for mysteriousness is xuán 玄. 2. Miào 妙 adds to the notion of mysteriousness that of intricacy and felicity of structure. 3. Ào 奧 emphasises the recondite obscurity and supernatural links of the mysterious.
Modern Chinese Criteria
玄妙 奧妙 微妙 神妙 神秘 幽眇 玄乎 玄 玄之又玄 神妙莫測 莫測高深 高深莫測 費解 難解 百思不解 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hyponym
  • SUPERNATURAL　OBSCURE, NOT ORDINARY, AND BELIEVED TO HAVE BIG POWER, AND which one CAN NOT PERCEIVE. (anc: 8/0, child: 2)
  • CONCEAL　CAUSE TO BECOME OBSCURE:invisible. (anc: 8/0, child: 3)
  • PROFOUND　OBSCURE BUT INTENSELY INTERESTING. (anc: 8/0, child: 0)
  • ESOTERIC　DELIBERATELY OBSCURE AND WRITTEN OR SAID FOR A CERTAIN GROUP. (anc: 8/0, child: 0)
Antonym
  • CLEAREASY to PERCEIVE OR UNDERSTAND.
See also
  • DEEPBIG SIZE DOWNWARD.
Hypernym
  • DARK　COLOUR LACKING BRIGHTNESS. (anc: 6/0, child: 1)
  • COLOUR　APPEARANCE of SURFACES which REFLECT OR ISSUE LIGHT, PERCEIVED USING the EYES. (anc: 5/0, child: 8)
  • APPEARANCE　CLEAR:visible BUT SUBJECTIVELY PERCEIVED FEATURES. (anc: 4/0, child: 6)
  • Novyj objasnitel'nyj Slovar' Sinonimov Russkogo Jazyka ( APRESJAN 2004) p. 663

  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 17.35

  • 韓非子同義詞研究 ( HANFEI TONGYI 2004) p. 358

  • Dictionnaire culturel en langue francaise ( REY 2005) p. 1.451

  • Dictionnaire culturel en langue francaise ( REY 2005) p. 3.845

  • Historisches Woerterbuch der Philosophie ( RITTER 1971-2007) p. 11.336

    UNVERSTAENDLICHKEIT

  • Handbuch der lateinischen und griechischen Synonymik ( SCHMIDT 1889) p. 31

  • Key Concepts in Chinese Philosophy ( ZHANG DAINIAN 2002) p. 74

    • Words (23 items)

    玄  xuán OC: ɡʷeen MC: ɦen 9 Attributions

    The current general word for mysteriousness is xuán 玄.

      Word relations
    • Epithet: 德/VIRTUE The current general term for salient features and principles of charismatic moral integrity and generosity is dé 德, when used as a term of ethical evalutation; but this word has many other philosophically important meanings.

      Syntactic words
    • nabmystery
    • vadNdark and mysteriously unfathomable
    • vadVobscurely, mystically, mysteriously
    • vibe mysterious; be esoteric (talk)
    妙  miào OC: mews MC: miɛu 4 Attributions

    Miào 妙 adds to the notion of mysteriousness that of intricacy and felicity of structure.

      Word relations
    • Assoc: 微/TENUOUS Wēi 微 refers to subtlety predominantly in transferred figurative senses.

      Syntactic words
    • nab.post-Nfeaturedefinite: the mysteries ofCH
    • nab.post-V{NUM}mystery; secret; secret crucial point
    • vadNmarvellously or supernaturally apt
    • vibe marvellously or supernaturally apt
    幽  yōu OC: qriw MC: ʔi̯u 4 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nabfactualwhat is mysterious
    • vadNfigurativedark and mysterious
    • vifigurativebe dark and mysterious
    幽冥  yōu míng OC: qriw meeŋ MC: ʔi̯u meŋ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nabstativeobscurity
    • VPadNcompletely obscure
    冥  míng OC: meeŋ MC: meŋ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadNdark and mysterious
    頡滑  xié huá MC: het hweat OC: ɡiid ɡruud 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPibe confused, slippery, and thus obcureCH
    幽隱  yōu yǐn MC: -- 'j+nX OC: qriw qɯnʔ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPiobscure, enigmatic, esotericLZ
    賾  zé OC: sɡreeɡ MC: ɖʐɣɛk 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nabmetaphysicalprofound depths; the mysteries involved in something
    • v[adN1.]post-N2the obscure recesses of one's mindCH
    隩  ào OC: quuɡs MC: ʔɑu 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • vifigurativeabstruse; deep; profound; subtle
    閉約  bì yuē MC: pejH 'jak OC: piids qplewɡ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPiesotericLZ
    洪深  hóng shēn OC: ɡooŋ qhljum MC: ɦuŋ ɕim 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPibe vast and profound> be mysteriously beyond one's grasp
    深妙  shēn miào OC: qhljum mews MC: ɕim miɛu 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPibe mysterious
    玄冥  xuán míng OC: ɡʷeen meeŋ MC: ɦen meŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPabmetaphysicalobscurity
    窈窈  yǎo yǎo MC: 'ewX 'ewX OC: qiiwʔ qiiwʔ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPiredbe quite obscureVK
    玄妙  xuán miào OC: ɡʷeen mews MC: ɦen miɛu 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPabmetaphysicalmysteries
    • VPadNobscure and mysterious > wonderful
    媒  mèi MC: -- OC: -- 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • vi.redbe obscureCH
    窈  yǎo OC: qiiwʔ MC: ʔeu 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • vibe mysterious, be obscureTWH
    • vi.redbe mysterious, be obscure
    隱  yǐn OC: qɯnʔ MC: ʔɨn 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • viremain hidden; remain unclear
    窈妙  yǎo miào OC: qiiwʔ mews MC: ʔeu miɛu 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPsubjectthe mysterious
    奧  ào OC: quuɡs MC: ʔɑu 0 Attributions

    Ào 奧 emphasises the recondite obscurity and supernatural links of the mysterious.

      Syntactic words
    • viSHU, preface: profound, obscure (meaning)
      Click here to add pinyin MC:  OC: 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurative(as light emerging at dawn): be obscure but about to clear up CH
    孔明  kǒng míng OC: khooŋʔ mraŋ MC: khuŋ mɣaŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurativebe mysterious
    祕  mì OC: priɡs MC: pi 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • virare, CC: hidden, secret, mysterious