Definitions
frown
Etymology
About
The character 顣 is a phono-semantic compound that pairs the semantic radical 頁 (yè) , denoting the head or face , with the phonetic element 戚 (qī). The presence of 頁 places the character in the semantic field of facial expressions or head-related actions, while 戚 gives a clue to its pronunciation. The core meaning is the physical action of frowning or knitting one's brows together, typically as a manifestation of worry, anxiety, or displeasure. Such a precise facial micro-expression means it appears almost exclusively in descriptive literary passages where an author paints a character's emotional state through physical appearance; it is rarely encountered outside classical texts or heightened formal prose.
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