About
The character 悛 is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic radical 忄 (heart) indicates that its meaning relates to internal emotions and mental states, while the phonetic component 夋 provides the pronunciation. The definition centers on the internal process of repentance and reform, of fundamentally changing one’s ways after recognizing a mistake. Thus, the heart radical conveys the necessary psychological shift for true repentance, while 夋 contributes only to the sound.
Etymology Hide
