慨 (kǎi) — (bound form) indignant, outraged (in 愤慨); (bound form) generous, fervent (in 慷慨); (bound form) to sigh with emotion, to reflect deeply (in 感慨)

Definition

慨 is a bound morph that almost never stands alone. In 慷慨 it means 'generous'; in 愤慨 it means 'indignant'; in 感慨 it means 'sighing with deep feeling'. Recognize the character, but learn each word as its own unit.

bound form
indignantoutraged (in 愤慨)generousfervent (in 慷慨)to sigh with emotionto reflect deeply (in 感慨)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā wèi rén kāng kǎi dà fāng, péng you hěn duō.
    He is generous and open-handed, so he has many friends.
  • ，。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu hěn fèn kǎi.
    Everyone was very indignant upon hearing this news.
  • ，。
    Lǎo rén huí yì wǎng shì, gǎn kǎi wàn qiān.
    The old man recalled the past, filled with a thousand emotions.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
既
既jì慨kǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 心 is a heart, showing the character concerns feelings; the right side 既 is used for its sound.

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