Definitions

anxiety; worry

Etymology phono-semantic

heart

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character functions as an adjective denoting a state of anxiety, depression, restlessness, or deep emotional unease. Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound: the vertical heart radical on the left grounds the character in the semantic domain of emotions and psychological states, while the right-side component (yì), historically meaning 'city' or 'settlement', acts purely as a phonetic indicator. The character appears in formal and literary contexts, especially in the compound 忧悒 (yōuyì), which conveys a heavy-hearted feeling or a lingering sorrow that weighs on the individual's emotional well-being.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern