烦忧 (fán yōu) — to be worried and troubled; to vex

Definition

A literary verb meaning 'to be worried and troubled.' More elevated/written in tone than everyday 担心, and emphasizes a lingering, weighed-down state of mind.

verb
to be worried and troubledto vex
Easily confused

Examples

  • 烦忧，。
    Tā zhěng rì fán yōu bù yǐ, wú fǎ ān xīn gōng zuò.
    He worried all day long and couldn't work peacefully.
  • 烦忧，。
    Bié wèi zhè xiē xiǎo shì fán yōu, bù zhí dé.
    Don't worry about these small things; it's not worth it.
  • 烦忧。
    Mǔ qīn de bìng ràng tā fán yōu wàn fēn.
    His mother's illness worried him greatly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

烦fánvexed
忧yōuworried

“烦” and “忧” are parallel feelings of annoyance and worry, together meaning troubled.

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 煩; 烦 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 煩, the shape is made from 火 (fire) and 頁 (head).

Open 烦 →

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xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
尤
尤yóu忧yōu
Same sound today

The heart part 心 marks a feeling, and 尤 gives the sound.

Open 忧 →

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