瞏

qióng

罒 + 袁

Definitions

qióng (literary) to gaze in terror; (literary) alone; unaided

Etymology

About

An archaic phono-semantic compound, 瞏 conveys intense gazing, often with undertones of terror, distress, or solitary observation. The 目 (eye) component at the top anchors it in vision and looking, while the complex stroke arrangement below serves as both a phonetic indicator for the pronunciation qióng and a visual depiction of a lingering, fixed stare. Because its meaning is so specific and dramatic, the character rarely appears independently in modern Chinese, functioning instead as a building block in more elaborate characters related to sight or emotional states.