The word **情结 (qíngjié)** is a compound noun formed by combining the character **情 (qíng)**, meaning "feeling," "emotion," or "sentiment," with **结 (jié)**, meaning "knot," "tie," or "complex." It functions as a calque, or loan translation, of the Western psychological term "complex" (as in "Oedipus complex"), where the "knot" metaphorically represents a tangled, deep-seated, and often unconscious cluster of emotions and ideas formed around a specific subject or experience. Thus, the term literally means an "emotional knot," effectively conveying the concept of a persistent, emotionally charged psychological fixation or preoccupation that influences a person's attitudes and behavior.