徑

• Physical Path: A narrow path, trail, or secluded track.
• Directness/Shortcut: Literal (a shortcut) or metaphorical (getting straight to the point).
• Technical (Geometry): The diameter; the straight distance across a circle through its center.

• Noun: A physical path; occasionally used for a "method" or "way" of proceeding.
• Adverbial Modifier: Meaning "directly," "straightaway," or "immediately." In narrative contexts, this can indicate bypassing customary formalities or intermediaries.

• Contrast with 道 (dào) and 路 (lù): While those terms refer to roads in general, 徑 specifically denotes a path that is narrow or less traveled.
• Contrast with 蹊 (xī): Both denote narrow paths, but 蹊 typically implies an even more obscure or diminutive track, such as an animal trail.

• Variants: Semantic variants U+4FD3 and U+52C1; simplified variant U+5F84.

// Readings: Tang-period reading //gèng*.

• Phonetic Component: Contains 竟.

// Be aware of the Tang-period reading (//gèng*) and its phonetic alignment with 竟; while context usually distinguishes "path" from "completion/end," this overlap may occur in early manuscripts.