Shigu, Chapter 1 (Explaining Old Words)

母之姊妹，為從母。

A mother's sisters are called congmu (从母).

從母之男子，為從母晜弟；其女子子，為從母姊妹。──母黨。

The sons of a congmu are called congmu xiongdi (从母兄弟), and the daughters of a congmu are called congmu zimei (从母姊妹). The above concerns the mother's side.

妻之父，為外舅；妻之母，為外姑。

A wife's father is called waijiu (外舅), and a wife's mother is called waigu (外姑).

姑之子為甥，舅之子為甥，妻之晜弟為甥，姊妹之夫為甥。

The son of a father's sister is called sheng (甥), the son of a mother's brother is called sheng (甥), a wife's brother is called sheng (甥), and a sister's husband is called sheng (甥).

妻之姊妹同出為姨。

A wife's sister who has married is called yi (姨).

女子謂姊妹之夫為私。

A woman calls her sister's husband si (私).

男子謂姊妹之子為出。

A man calls his sister's son chu (出).

女子謂晜弟之子為侄，謂出之子為離孫，謂侄之子為歸孫。

A woman calls her brother's son zhi (侄), calls the son of a chu lisun (离孙), and calls the son of a zhi guisun (归孙).

女子子之子為外孫。

A daughter's son is called waisun (外孙).

女子同出，謂先生為姒，後生為娣。

Of women married together into the same household, the one born earlier is called si (姒), and the one born later is called di (娣).

女子謂兄之妻為嫂，弟之妻為婦。

A woman calls her elder brother's wife sao (嫂), and calls her younger brother's wife fu (妇).

長婦謂稚婦為娣婦，娣婦謂長婦為姒婦。──妻黨。

The elder wife calls the younger wife difu (娣妇), and the younger wife calls the elder wife sifu (姒妇). The above concerns the wife's side.

婦稱夫之父曰舅，稱夫之母曰姑。

A married woman calls her husband's father jiu (舅), and calls her husband's mother gu (姑).

姑舅在，則曰君舅、君姑；沒，則曰先舅、先姑。

While her parents-in-law are alive, they are called junjiu (君舅) and jungu (君姑); once they have died, they are called xianjiu (先舅) and xiangu (先姑).

謂夫之庶母為少姑，夫之兄為兄公，夫之弟為叔，夫之姊為女公，夫之女弟為女妹。

She calls her husband's concubine-mother shaogu (少姑), her husband's elder brother xiongong (兄公), her husband's younger brother shu (叔), her husband's elder sister nügong (女公), and her husband's younger sister nümei (女妹).

子之妻為婦，長婦為嫡婦，眾婦為庶婦。

A son's wife is called fu (妇); the wife of the eldest son is called difu (嫡妇), and the wives of the other sons are called shufu (庶妇).

女子子之夫為婿，婿之父為姻，婦之父為婚。

A daughter's husband is called xu (婿), the father of the xu is called yin (姻), and the father of the fu is called hun (婚).

父之黨為宗族，母與妻之黨為兄弟。

Kin on the father's side are called zongzu (宗族), the clan, and kin on the mother's and wife's side are called xiongdi (兄弟).

婦之父母、婿之父母，相謂為婚姻。

The parents of the bride and the parents of the groom call one another hunyin (婚姻), in-laws.

兩婿相謂為亞。

Two sons-in-law call one another ya (亚).

婦之黨為婚兄弟，婿之黨為姻兄弟。

The kin on the bride's side are called hun xiongdi (婚兄弟), and the kin on the groom's side are called yin xiongdi (姻兄弟).

嬪，婦也。

Pin (嫔) means a married woman.

謂我舅者，吾謂之甥也。──婚姻。

One who calls me jiu (舅), I call sheng (甥). The above concerns marriage relations.

宮謂之室，室謂之宮。

A gong (宫) is called a shi (室), and a shi is called a gong.

牖戶之間謂之扆，其內謂之家。

The space between the window and the door is called yi (扆), and what lies within it is called jia (家).

東西牆謂之序。

The walls on the east and west sides are called xu (序).

西南隅謂之奧，西北隅謂之屋漏，東北隅謂之宧，東南隅謂之{宀交}。

The southwest corner is called ao (奥), the northwest corner is called wulou (屋漏), the northeast corner is called yi (宧), and the southeast corner is called yao (窔; the source text writes this character as jiao beneath the roof radical).

柣謂之閾，棖謂之楔，楣謂之梁。

The threshold is called yu (阈), the long wooden posts at the sides of a door are called xie (楔), and the lintel across the top is called liang (梁).

樞謂之椳。

The door pivot is called wei (椳).

樞達北方，謂之落時，落時謂之戺。

The pivot that leads toward the north is called luoshi (落时), and luoshi is also called shi (戺).

垝謂之坫，牆謂之墉。

A low wall is called dian (坫), and a wall is called yong (墉).

鏝謂之杇，椹謂之。

The trowel for plastering walls is called wu (杇), and the board that supports it is called (the explanatory character is missing in the source text).

地謂之黝，牆謂之堊。

Floors painted black are called you (黝), and walls painted white are called e (垩).

枳謂之杙，在牆者謂之楎，在地者謂之臬，大者謂之栱，長者謂之閣。

A short stake is called yi (杙); one on a wall is called hui (楎), one in the ground is called nie (臬), a large one is called gong (栱), and a long one is called ge (阁).

闍謂之臺，有木者謂之榭。

An earthen raised platform is called tai (台), and one with a timber structure on top is called xie (榭).

雞棲於弋為榤，鑿垣而棲為塒。

A chicken roosting on a wooden stake is called jie (榤), and one roosting in a hole dug in a wall is called shi (埘).

植謂之傳，傳謂之突。

A door bar is called chuan (传), and chuan is also called tu (突).

杗廇謂之梁，其上楹謂之梲。

The great beam is called liang (梁), and the short post on a beam is called zhuo (棁).

閞謂之槉。

The bracket block on a column is called ji (槉).

栭謂之楶。

The short wood on a beam is called jie (楶).

棟謂之桴，桷謂之榱。

The main ridge beam is called fu (桴), and the rafters are called cui (榱).

桷直而遂，謂之閱；直不受簷，謂之交；簷謂之樀。

Rafters that run straight through to the edge of the eaves are called yue (阅), rafters that go straight up but do not reach the eaves are called jiao (交), and the eaves are called di (樀).

容謂之防，連謂之簃。

A screen is called fang (防), and a small connecting side room is called yi (簃).

屋上薄謂之筄。

The mat laid on a roof is called yao (筄).

兩階間謂之鄉，中庭之左右謂之位，門屏之間謂之寧，屏謂之樹，閍謂之

The space between the two stairs is called xiang (乡), the left and right sides of the courtyard are called wei (位), the space between the gate and the screen is called ning (宁), a screen is called shu (树), and a bi (閍) is called

門，正門謂之應門，觀謂之闕，宮中之門謂之闈，其小者謂之閨，小閨謂之閤。

a gate; the main gate is called yingmen (应门), the high platform for viewing is called que (阙), a gate inside the palace is called wei (闱), a small one is called gui (闺), and a still smaller gui is called ge (阁).

門謂之閎，門側之堂謂之塾。

The gate of a lane is called hong (闳), and the hall beside a gate is called shu (塾).

橛謂之闑。

The upright wood in the middle of a gate is called nie (𫔶).

闔謂之扉，所以止扉謂之閎。

A door leaf is called fei (扉), and what is used to hold the door leaf in place is called hong (闳).

瓴甋謂之甓。

A brick is called pi (甓).

宮中，謂之壺；廟中路，謂之唐。

A path inside the palace is called kun (壶), and a path in the ancestral temple is called tang (唐).

堂途謂之陳。

The path below the hall is called chen (陈).

路、旅，途也。

Lu (路) and lü (旅) both mean "road."

路、場、猷、行，道也。

Lu (路), chang (场), you (猷) and xing (行) all mean "way, path."

一達謂之道路，二達謂之歧旁，三達謂之劇旁，四達謂之衢，五達謂之康，

A road with one passage is called daolu (道路), with two passages qipang (歧旁), with three passages jupang (剧旁), with four passages qu (衢), with five passages kang (康),

六達謂之莊，七達謂之劇驂，八達謂之崇期，九達謂之逵。

with six passages zhuang (庄), with seven passages juzan (剧骖), with eight passages chongqi (崇期), and with nine passages kui (逵).

室中謂之時，堂上謂之行，堂下謂之步，門外謂之趨，中庭謂之走，大路謂

Moving within a room is called shi (时), on the hall it is called xing (行), below the hall it is called bu (步), going out of the gate it is called qu (趋), in the courtyard it is called zou (走), and on the main road it is called

之奔。

ben (奔).

隄謂之梁，石槓謂之徛。

A bridge over an embankment is called liang (梁), and stepping stones are called ji (徛).

室有東西廂曰廟，無東西廂有室曰寢，無室曰榭。四方而高曰臺，陝而修曲

A building with east and west side rooms and a main room is called a miao (庙); one without east and west side rooms but with a main room is called a qin (寝); one without a main room is called a xie (榭). One that is square and high is called a tai (台), and one that is narrow, long and winding