Explanation of the meaning of purification

The meaning of purification means that the heart must be purified every day to prevent any dirt from getting on it.

wash (pinyin: xǐ, xiǎn) is a first-level standard Chinese character (commonly used character). This character first appeared in the Warring States period, and it is said that it first appeared in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty. The basic meaning of "washing" is to remove dirt with water. Used in an abstract sense, meaning to clear out or remove.

It is also used as a metaphor to mean looting, robbing or killing, and also extends to developing photos. "Washing" also extends to the removal or absence of redundant words, actions or other things, that is, neat and concise. In addition, "washing" also means rearranging.

The original meaning of the word "wash" refers specifically to foot washing. "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "wash, sprinkle your feet." King Gu Ye of the Southern Dynasty's "Yupian·Shuibu" says: "wash, now it is thought of as the word sprinkle." "Sprinkle your feet" means washing your feet.

After being promoted to a general reference, any removal of dirt with water can be called "wash", such as hand washing, laundry, dish washing, car washing, etc. This has also become the central meaning of "wash". However, in ancient literature, this meaning is limited to washing jue, tripod and other utensils. When it comes to washing hands, hair and body, it is still expressed by the specific words "wash", "mu" and "bath".

Not only washing specific things is called washing, but "washing" can also be used in an abstract sense. In modern Chinese, there is "clearance and washing goods", which means to sell all the inventory goods cleanly. There is an idiom such as "one is as poor as one's clothes are washed", which means one is extremely poor and has nothing.

Another example is to rob a place or a family of all their belongings and call it "looting", and to kill all the people in a city is called "washing the city", which means like washing with water, leaving nothing behind. Concise and neat language, writing, skills, etc. are called "Xilian", which means as clean as washing things.