Definitions

biàn pleased, delighted

Etymology phono-semantic

heart

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character (biàn) is formed as a phono-semantic compound: the left side is the semantic radical , which is the vertical form of the heart radical and indicates an emotion or psychological state; the right side is the phonetic component (biàn). Since the heart radical inherently points to internal feelings, the character expresses an emotional meaning: extreme joy or delight. It is used almost exclusively in formal or classical writing to convey profound gladness, and it has no extended or unrelated senses.