庶

• Numerous or various: a diverse collection or a multitude of different kinds.
• The commonalty: the non-elite or the masses (e.g., 庶民). In political or social contexts, it often functions as shorthand for the common people, typically contrasted with nobility or specialized bureaucracy.

• Adjective: Modifying a noun to indicate variety or large numbers.
• Collective Noun: Referring to "the multitude" or "the masses."
• Adverb (Rare): In certain early texts, it may function as "nearly" or "almost" (similar to 幾). This is a secondary reading to be tested if primary senses of quantity or social class do not fit the syntax.

While often glossed similarly to 多, 庶 emphasizes heterogeneity or a "spreading out" rather than simple quantitative abundance.

When choosing between "many" and "various," consider whether the author is emphasizing a head-count (quantitative) or the diverse nature of the group (qualitative). In texts concerning governance, evaluate whether 庶 is being used to define a class by its lack of singular distinction.