研

• Physical: To grind, rub, or crush against a stone. Often implies a process of refinement, such as preparing ink or producing pigments and powders in medicinal or alchemical contexts.
• Intellectual: To examine rigorously; to scrutinize or "work through" a subject or text. In ancient contexts, this denotes deep, patient investigation.

• Verb: The act of grinding (physical) or studying/analyzing (intellectual).
• Adjective: When describing an argument, piece of writing, or object, it can mean "refined," "polished," "thorough," or "meticulously worked."

Do not confuse with 硯 (yàn), which refers specifically to the inkstone tool. 研 focuses on the process or action.

• Semantic variant: 硏 (U+63C5).
• Z-variant: U+784F.

Determine if the object of the action is a physical substance or an intellectual one. If the latter, distinguish between the act of study (verb) and the quality of being meticulously refined (adjective).