About
The character 懑 is a phono-semantic compound with the heart radical 心 at the bottom, linking it to emotions, and the component 满 at the top, meaning "full" and providing the "mèn" pronunciation. Its traditional form is 懣, placing the full character 滿 above the same heart radical. The structure, “full” over “heart”, visually conveys the idea of being overwhelmed by feeling, leading to meanings like melancholy, deep frustration, or pent-up anger. It commonly appears in the compound "愤懑" (fènmèn), expressing a strong sense of unvented grievance or depression.
Etymology Hide
