恙

yàng

心 + 𦍌

Definitions

yàng sickness

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 羊 represents the sound.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 羊

About

恙 (yàng) is a phono-semantic compound: the phonetic 羊 (yáng) sits above the heart radical 心 (xīn), indicating a connection to physical or emotional conditions, and its primary meaning is illness or ailment. In ancient times, the character appeared frequently in greetings and correspondence to inquire about someone's health or to reassure they had not fallen sick during travel. Today it is highly formal and rare in conversation, surviving mainly in polite written letters and in the idiom 安然无恙 (safe and sound, literally 'completely free of sickness or trouble').

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我听说你无恙。

Wǒ tīng shuō nǐ wúyàng.

I heard that you are unharmed.

他今天身体无恙。

Tā jīntiān shēntǐ wúyàng.

He is unharmed today.

经过检查，他无恙。

Jīngguò jiǎnchá, tā wúyàng.

After the examination, he is unharmed.

虽然摔了一跤，但他无恙。

Suīrán shuāi le yī jiāo, dàn tā wúyàng.

Although he fell, he is unharmed.

在事故中，所有人都无恙。

Zài shìgù zhōng, suǒyǒu rén dōu wúyàng.

In the accident, everyone is unharmed.

他只是有点微恙，不必担心。

Tā zhǐshì yǒudiǎn wēiyàng, bùbì dānxīn.

He just has a slight illness, no need to worry.

尽管环境危险，但他们全部无恙。

Jǐnguǎn huánjìng wēixiǎn, dàn tāmen quánbù wúyàng.

Despite the dangerous environment, they are all unharmed.

在多次测试中，设备始终运行无恙，令人满意。

Zài duō cì cèshì zhōng, shèbèi shǐzhōng yùnxíng wúyàng, lìng rén mǎnyì.

In multiple tests, the equipment has always run without issues, which is satisfactory.

Related Characters

Component: 心

Component: 𦍌

恙