典

• The Normative: Established protocol, ritual standards, or legal precedents; the benchmark of correct practice.
• The Textual: Formal records, manuals of statecraft, or official archives. In later contexts (Han and beyond), specifically "the Classics" or sacred scripture.
• The Functional: To manage, administer, or preside over (typically in the context of a ritual, treasury, or government office).

• Noun: Functions as subject (e.g., the standard dictates) or object (e.g., consulting records).
• Verb: When meaning "to manage," it typically takes an object related to official duty or ritual apparatus.
• Modifier: Used to describe something as canonical, standard, or officially sanctioned.

• vs. 律 (lǜ): While both relate to law, //lǜ// refers specifically to penal codes and strict statutes; //diǎn// is broader, encompassing ritual standards and the overarching system of authority.
• vs. 經 (jīng): Both can be translated as "classic." However, //jīng// implies a fundamental truth or a continuous thread of tradition, while //diǎn// emphasizes authority through official codification and institutional status.
• vs. 冊 (cè): //Cè// refers to the physical medium (bamboo slips/volume), whereas //diǎn// refers to the authoritative content contained within.

In later vernacular or commercial texts, the meaning shifts toward "pawning" or "mortgaging" (as in 典當), deriving from the act of handing over a deed as collateral. This sense is generally absent in early philosophical or ritual texts.

The glyph denotes information that has been codified; its primary conceptual movement is from the physical record (the archive) to the authoritative standard derived from that record.