浚

• Verb: To dredge, deepen, or clear a waterway by removing silt and obstructions to restore flow or navigation.
• Adjective: Deep. Primarily used for water; occasionally extends to resonant sounds or metaphorical depths.

• Transitive: Used as "to dredge" or "deepen" (e.g., a canal or moat).
• Stative/Intransitive: To be deep (specifically of water).
• Resultative nuance: Often implies that the depth is the result of clearing; suggests "opening up" as much as "deepening."

• vs. 深 (shēn): While both mean "deep," 深 is the general term for depth, whereas 浚 emphasizes the hydraulic context or the action required to achieve that depth.
• vs. 通 (tōng): 通 refers to the state of being open or clear; 浚 refers to the specific method (dredging) used to achieve that state.
• vs. 鑿 (záo): 鑿 involves boring, carving, or piercing hard material; 浚 involves scooping out soft sediment.

Interchangeable with 濬. Treat as a single lexical unit.

In most ancient contexts—particularly those involving statecraft, agriculture, or geography—this glyph is literal. Exercise caution before applying metaphorical readings (e.g., "clearing the mind") unless the surrounding philosophical context explicitly demands it.