后怕 (hòu pà) — post-event fear; to feel scared after the danger has passed

Definition

后怕 (hòu pà) means the delayed fear you feel after a dangerous moment has already passed — the shaky 'phew, that was close' reaction, not fear felt during the danger itself. It can be used as both a noun (一种后怕) and a verb (我后怕了).

post-event fearto feel scared after the danger has passed

Examples

  • 后怕。
    Nà zhǒng hòu pà ràng wǒ yì zhí shuì bù zháo.
    That kind of post-event fear kept me awake all night.
  • 后怕。
    Tā hòu lái cái kāi shǐ hòu pà.
    He only started feeling scared afterwards.
  • ，后怕。
    Huí xiǎng qǐ gāng cái de xiǎn qíng, tā bù yóu de gǎn dào yí zhèn hòu pà.
    Recalling the dangerous situation just now, she couldn't help but feel a wave of post-event fear.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

后hòuafter
怕pàfear

后 means after and 怕 means fear, so the meaning is fear that comes after an event.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái怕pà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 怕 →

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