孫

• Grandchild.
• Descendants, progeny, or posterity (often appearing as 子孫 but may function as a collective noun when standing alone).
• Proper name (surname).

// Contrast with 子 (//zǐ*): used to distinguish immediate offspring from extended descendants.

// Comparison with 曾孫 (//zēng sūn*): in precise genealogical lists, the absence of 曾 confirms the third generation (grandchild) rather than a great-grandchild.

// Relation to 宗 (//zōng*): whereas 孫 refers to the descendants, 宗 refers to the ancestral root from which they descend.

// Tang reading: //suən.

• The simplified form (孙) is a modern development and will not appear in source texts, though it may appear in modern indices or concordances.

• Singular/Collective Ambiguity: There is significant fluidity between "grandchild" and "descendants in general." When the glyph appears as a general subject, determine if the text refers to a specific biological generation or the lineage as a whole.
• Ritual and Legal Contexts: In passages concerning inheritance, ritual obligation, or clan legitimacy, 孫 often represents the legal and spiritual continuation of the ancestral line (宗).
• The Surname Fork: When appearing as a subject without accompanying kinship markers—particularly in historical narratives or philosophical dialogues—evaluate the probability that it is functioning as a proper name.