圭

Literal: A ritual jade tablet with a rectangular body and a pointed or rounded top.

Metonymic: Official rank, authority, court protocol, and the act of presenting oneself before a sovereign.

Technical/Cosmological: Markers or gnomons used in astronomical measurement.

Almost exclusively a noun (an object that is granted, held, or presented). If it appears to function as a verb, consider whether it is a phonetic loan or a specific metaphor for "marking" or "standardizing."

珪: Frequently interchangeable with 圭; treat these as semantic twins unless the text is specifically concerned with mineralogy or precise distinctions of jade types.

規 (compass/rule): Shares the same reading (//gui//) and conceptual overlap regarding standards and rectitude. Be alert for phonetic loans or intentional wordplay between the two in ambiguous passages.

Semantic variant: 珪.

Beyond its literal meaning, the glyph carries connotations of stability and moral rigidity, reflecting both the physical properties of jade and the social hierarchy of the court.