譽

Positive valuation of a person via public speech. It functions both as a verb (to praise or laud) and as a noun (renown or the accumulated social standing resulting from praise).

Denotes public standing rather than private virtue; it is the social "echo" of a quality, not the quality itself. In philosophical and historical texts—particularly Taoist discourse—it frequently exists in a binary with 毀 (blame, slander) to illustrate the volatility of public opinion.

The presence of the speech radical (言) emphasizes that this status is mediated through language and defined by what is said.

Depending on the author's posture, consider whether 譽 is being presented as a deserved reward for virtue or as a superficial distraction ("empty fame") that obscures true nature.