申

• Formal communication: reporting upward (subordinate to superior), or the presentation of a formal petition or case.
• Elaboration: explaining in detail, clarifying, or unfolding an argument.
• Extension: stretching, prolonging, or extending.
• Technical/Proper Nouns: The ninth Earthly Branch (associated with the Monkey), used as a coordinate for time (roughly 3 p.m.–5 p.m.) or direction; refers to the State of Shen (申國), particularly in Spring and Autumn period texts.

In early texts, often interchangeable with 伸 regarding physical stretching. In later strata, a distinction typically emerges: 伸 tends to denote literal physical extension (e.g., limbs), while 申 is reserved for abstract or formal extensions (e.g., the extension of power, influence, or an argument).