积怨 (jī yuàn) — accumulated grievances, pent-up resentment

Definition

A noun for grievances that have built up over time, not a single incident. Unlike 抱怨 (a single complaint), 积怨 refers to deep, long-piled-up resentment.

noun
accumulated grievancespent-up resentment

Examples

  • 积怨。
    Tā men zhī jiān de jī yuàn yuè lái yuè shēn.
    The accumulated grievances between them are getting deeper.
  • 积怨。
    Cháng qī de jī yuàn zhōng yú bào fā le.
    The long-accumulated grievances finally erupted.
  • 积怨。
    Tā xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le jī yuàn.
    His heart is full of pent-up resentment.

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.

积jīaccumulate
怨yuànresentment

积 (accumulate) and 怨 (resentment) combine to mean accumulated grievances.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 積; 积 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé積jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 積 pairs 禾 (grain) with 責, which gives the sound; the simplified 积 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 积 →

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
夗
夗wǎn怨yuàn
Same sound today

怨 has 心 (heart) below and 夗 above as a sound part; the heart part shows the meaning concerns feelings.

Open 怨 →

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