About
憝 is a phono-semantic compound: the heart radical 心 at the base indicates a psychological or emotional state, while the upper component 敦 provides the pronunciation. Historically, it has denoted intense dislike, resentment, or enmity, a negative emotion directed at a person or action. The heart radical thus categorizes it as a term for an internal emotional reaction, distinguishing it from other characters that share the phonetic element 敦.
Etymology Hide
