林

By extension, it denotes a collection, assembly, or abundance of similar entities — as in “학림(學林, scholarly community)” or “금림(金林, forest of metal, i.e. a cluster of weapons).”

Compound ideograph composed of:

木 (나무 목) — “tree,” appearing twice to symbolize “many trees together.”

Thus, 林 literally means “a place with many trees” — a forest.

It belongs to the same semantic family as 森 (deep forest), with three 木 elements emphasizing density and vastness.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「林，二木也。从二木。」

“林 means two trees — composed of two 木.”

The doubling of 木 expresses multiplicity and collective growth.

Early scripts (甲骨文, 金文) clearly depict two upright trees side by side, representing a natural grove.

Extended meanings:

Metaphorical: a group or field (學林 “field of study,” 政林 “political circles”).

Symbolic: tranquility, natural harmony, and renewal — key virtues in Daoist and Confucian aesthetics.

In Chinese and Korean toponyms, 林 appears frequently, meaning “wooded place” (e.g., 남산림, 동림).

森林 (삼림) — forest, woods

山林 (산림) — mountains and forests; reclusive natural setting

林野 (임야) — woodland; uncultivated forest land

林業 (임업) — forestry

林中 (임중) — within the forest

竹林 (죽림) — bamboo grove; also a metaphor for poetic retreat

學林 (학림) — scholarly community (“forest of learning”)

In cultural and spiritual contexts, 林 became a symbol of sanctity, community, and cultivated retreat, evoking the image of the forest as both a natural dwelling and sacred enclosure of life.

In funerary usage, 林 carries elevated connotations.

While 墓 (묘) denotes an ordinary grave, and 陵 (릉) a royal tomb, 林 (림) signifies the tomb of a divinized or sacred person (神, 人神).

Examples:

孔林 (공림) — the burial forest of Confucius, in Qufu (曲阜).

關林 (관림) — the shrine and tomb where the head of Guan Yu is enshrined.

This usage suggests a sacred grove rather than a mere grave, aligning with ancient East Asian practices where trees and forests were places of spiritual reverence.

In Korean traditional music (國樂), 林 is used as part of the note name 林鐘 (임종), equivalent to E♭ in Western tuning. It corresponds to the fifth note (角) of the pentatonic scale when transposed to that pitch.