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Abstract This paper focuses on the Semantic Series in the ancient Chinese character Jing (競), addressing the issue that current large-scale dictionaries do not fully include the meaning items of this character, through a combination of textual research, glyph analysis, and the rules of semantic extension, it reveals the long-overlooked original meaning of binglie (并列) and the derived series of adverbial meanings such as jiedou (皆都), gongtong (共同) and tongshi (同时). This study will provide theoretical support for the accurate interpretation of classical texts.
Currently, authoritative dictionaries such as The Great Chinese Character Dictionary and The Great Chinese Word Dictionary only include the verbal meanings of jingzheng (竞争) and zhengbian (争辩), the adjectival meaning of qiangsheng (强盛), and the adverbial meaning of jingxiang (竞相). However, this study has identified numerous examples in classical texts that cannot be adequately explained by the existing definitions. The reason lies in the overlooked original meaning of jing (竞/競)as binglie (并列), bibing (比并) and its related extended meanings.
From the perspective of its glyph structure, the character jing (競) consists of two ren (人) at the bottom and two yan (言) at the top. Its compositional meaning signifies “two persons standing side by side and debating”, inherently encompassing the dual original meanings of zhengbian (争辩) and binglie (并列).These two core meanings share a common origin and coexisted, yet the latter has long been overlooked. Existing dictionaries have focused only on the meanings derived from zhengbian (争辩), such as jingzheng (竞争)and qiangsheng (强盛),while neglecting the original meaning of bin lie (并列)and its extended semantic series. Adhering to the philological principle that “a rule cannot be established without at least ten examples”, this paper cites dozens of typical textual instances, categorized and argued according to the degree of contextual display: In contexts of synonymous or near-synonymous co-occurrence, jing(竞) functions synonymously with summary adverbs like jie (皆), xian (咸),and jv (俱), appearing either in opposition or in conjunction. In contexts of antithesis, jing (竞) forms a contrast with words like du (独) or mo (莫), highlighting its meaning of zongkuo (总括) or quandou (全都).Furthermore, through analysis based on logical reasoning and grammatical rules, when jing (竞) follows an inanimate subject or a psychological verb predicate, it cannot be interpreted as jingzheng (竞争) but must be understood as meaning jie dou (皆都).
On this basis this paper delineates the complete semantic system of jing (竞/競) as comprising two parallel series. The first is an extended series originating from the meaning of zhengbian (争辩), namely: zheng bian (争辩)→jingzheng / juezhu / bisai (竞争/角逐/比赛)→qiangsheng / qiangjin (强盛/强劲)→jingxiang/zhengxiang (竞相/争相). The second is an extended series originating from the meaning of binglie (并列), namely: binglie / bi bing (并列/比并)→jie / dou / quan (皆/都/全, scope adverb)→gongtong / yiqi (共同/一起, coordination adverb)→tongshi / yiqi (同时/一齐, temporal adverb). This discovery breaks through the traditional academic perception of the singular original meaning of characters, revealing that some characters exhibit phenomena of original meaning coexistence and differentiated textual meanings, while employing the principle of synchronous extension to corroborate their validity. By drawing analogies to characters such as bi (比), bing (并), and qi (齐)—which similarly contain the meaning of binglie (并列) and share comparable paths of semantic extension—it confirms that the derivation of meanings for jing (竞/競) aligns with the general patterns of semantic evolution in classical Chinese.
The value of this study lies in its supplementation of the missing semantic items in authoritative dictionaries, its correction of long-standing misinterpretations of the character jing (竞) in the interpretation of classical texts, which provides typical examples of the original meanings of graphemic symbiosis and parallel extended meanings for linguistics. In terms of methodology, it combines textual research with glyph analysis and unifies quantitative case studies with qualitative analysis. It not only adheres to the traditional philological principle that “a rule cannot be established without at least ten examples” but also use the “synchronous extension” principle to justify its rationality, demonstrating both empirical rigor and academic rationality. Supplementing major dictionaries with meanings such as binglie (并列), jiedou (皆都), gongtong (共同) and tongshi (同时) is both an inevitable outcome of the deepening research into classical Chinese semantics and a practical necessity for enhancing the accuracy of interpreting classical texts and advancing the scientific development of traditional language studies.
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Published: 22 December 2025
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