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焦虑 (jiāo lǜ) — anxious, worried, apprehensive

Definition

A sustained, low-level worry about uncertain or threatening situations (e.g. job stress, a child's illness). Stronger and more lasting than 着急, which usually means hurried or momentarily flustered.

adjective
anxiousworriedapprehensive

Examples

  • 焦虑。
    Tā yīn wèi gōng zuò yā lì tài dà ér gǎn dào fēi cháng jiāo lǜ.
    She felt very anxious because of too much work pressure.
  • ，焦虑。
    Hái zi shēng bìng shí, fù mǔ zǒng shì hěn jiāo lǜ.
    Parents are always very anxious when their child is sick.
  • ，焦虑，。
    Miàn shì qián de wǎn shàng, wǒ tè bié jiāo lǜ, yí yè méi shuì hǎo.
    The night before the interview, I was especially anxious and didn't sleep well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

焦jiāoanxious
虑lǜworry

焦 carries anxiousness and 虑 means worry, naming a state of anxiety.

Characters in this word

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
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
小
小xiǎo焦jiāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 焦 glyph first paired 隹 (bird) with 小 as a sound part. The 小 part later changed into a fire shape, and the character was then used for scorching.

Open 焦 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 慮; 虑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
思思sīto think
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū慮lǜ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 慮 puts 思 (think) with 虍, which gives the sound; the simplified 虑 is a later shorthand.

Open 虑 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Emotions & FeelingsMental Health5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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