準

Concrete: A water level; the act of leveling or making flat.

Abstract: A standard, criterion, benchmark, or norm (specifically a baseline for measurement).

Functions as a verb meaning to take as a standard ("according to"), to set in order/arrange, or to approve/permit.

• 準 vs. 平: 準 is the tool or standard used to achieve flatness; 平 is the resulting state of being flat.
• 準 vs. 度: 準 is a fixed baseline or criterion; 度 refers to scale, proportion, or degree.
• 準 vs. 則: 則 typically denotes a prescriptive rule or legal principle; 準 is the benchmark against which something is measured.
• 準 vs. 律: 準 denotes a baseline for measurement rather than a prescriptive law.

• Variants: The form 准 (U+51C6) is frequently interchangeable with 準 in pre-modern texts. While later lexicographers attempted to distinguish them—assigning 準 to "standards" and 准 to "permission"—this distinction was rarely observed by authors.
• Readings: Recorded Tang-period reading: //juǐn//.

Exercise caution when applying the sense of "permission" (to approve or agree) to very early passages, as this usage typically appears in later texts.