定

Core sense: The transition from flux to stability; the act of bringing something into correct alignment and maintaining it.

• Physical/Political: Cessation of movement (e.g., settling sediment); restoration of order following a period of chaos, rebellion, or war.

// Mental/Internal: Resolution, composure, and focus. In Buddhist texts, this is the standard translation for //samādhi*, referring to meditative absorption and one-pointed concentration.

• Administrative/Legal: The objective establishment of boundaries, dates, prices, or laws; the act of making something definitive or irrevocable.

• Transitive: To settle or fix [something].
• Intransitive/Stative: To become stable; to be settled.
• Resultative Complement: Follows another verb to indicate that an action has reached a final, unchangeable state.

• vs 靜 (stillness): While both involve quietude, 定 implies a settled or decided quality rather than the mere absence of noise.
• vs 安 (ān): Both can overlap as "peace," but 安 emphasizes safety and comfort, whereas 定 emphasizes stability and fixity.

// Tang-period reading: //dhèng

• Fanqie reading: 徒徑 丁定

Avoid rendering this glyph as a modern "decision" (a mental choice). In ancient texts, 定 frequently refers to the objective establishment of a fact or state.