About
The character 怛 (dá) is a phono-semantic compound used in classical Chinese to convey deep sorrow, distress, grief, or alarm. It is built upon the vertical heart radical 忄 (xīn) on the left, which places it within the semantic category of psychological states and emotions. The right component 旦 (dàn), meaning dawn, serves as the phonetic element, indicating pronunciation without contributing to the meaning of the character. 怛 is largely confined to literary and historical texts, often appearing in classical compounds to describe severe emotional anguish or profound shock resulting from tragedy or crisis.
Etymology Hide
