謀

A cognitive process directed toward a future goal. The semantic range generally falls into three categories:

1. Consultation and Deliberation: Seeking or giving advice; collaborative strategic thinking.

2. Strategy and Statecraft: Professionalized planning, particularly in military or political contexts.

3. Plotting and Conspiracy: Secret or illicit scheming.

The distinction between "strategy" and "conspiracy" is typically determined by the secrecy of the act and the moral standing of the actors rather than a change in the glyph's inherent meaning.

• Verb (Transitive): To plan or plot something; to plot against someone; to consult with someone.
• Verb (Intransitive): To deliberate; to think through a problem.
• Noun: A plan, a scheme, or the advice itself.

In sequences of "thinking" verbs, 謀 typically represents the resulting strategy or conclusion rather than the general process of reflection.

When distinguishing 謀 from related terms in the planning cluster:

• vs. 計 (jì): 計 emphasizes calculation and logistics; 謀 emphasizes overarching strategy.
• vs. 策 (cè): 策 refers to a specific tactic or formal policy proposal (often written); 謀 is the mental architecture behind such tactics.
• vs. 慮 (lǜ): 慮 focuses on foresight, apprehension, or worry regarding outcomes; 謀 is the active decision-making process used to address those outcomes.
• vs. 議 (yì): 議 refers to public deliberation and debate; 謀 can be private or secret.

// Tang-period reading: //miou.

• Simplified variant: U+8C0B.

Note that the construction 謀之 (móu zhī) may be rendered as "consulted him" rather than "planned it," depending on context.