惑

huò

心 + 或

Definitions

huò (verb) to be confused; to be puzzled

huò (verb) to confuse; to perplex

Etymology ideographic

An uncertain 或 heart 心; 或 also provides the pronunciation

About

惑 is a phono-semantic compound: the heart radical 心 at the base signals a cognitive or emotional state, while the phonetic 或 ("or") above suggests uncertainty. Its core meaning is confusion, doubt, or the sense of being baffled by a situation that lacks clarity or logic. It extends to being deluded, misled, or bewitched, when deception, temptation, or an inability to distinguish truth from falsehood clouds judgment.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我对这个决定感到困惑。

Wǒ duì zhège juédìng gǎndào kùnhuò.

I feel confused about this decision.

不要被虚假广告所迷惑。

Bùyào bèi xūjiǎ guǎnggào suǒ míhuò.

Don't be misled by false advertising.

她脸上露出疑惑的表情。

Tā liǎn shàng lù chū yíhuò de biǎoqíng.

Her face showed a puzzled expression.

金钱的诱惑使他走上了歧途。

Jīnqián de yòuhuò shǐ tā zǒu shàng le qítú.

The temptation of money led him astray.

老师耐心地解答学生的困惑。

Lǎoshī nàixīn de jiědá xuéshēng de kùnhuò.

The teacher patiently answers the students' confusion.

在众多选择中，他感到迷惑不已。

Zài zhòngduō xuǎnzé zhōng, tā gǎndào míhuò bùyǐ.

Among the many choices, he felt extremely confused.

这个复杂的问题一直困惑着研究人员。

Zhège fùzá de wèntí yìzhí kùnhuò zhe yánjiū rényuán.

This complex problem has been perplexing researchers.

面对舆论的迷惑，他保持了清醒的头脑。

Miànduì yúlùn de míhuò, tā bǎochí le qīngxǐng de tóunǎo.

Facing the confusion of public opinion, he kept a clear mind.

Related Characters

Component: 心

Component: 或

惑