忧 (yōu) — worry, anxiety, sorrow (bound form, used in compounds)

Definition

Bound morpheme meaning 'worry, sorrow' — never stands alone, always part of a compound such as 担忧 (worry), 忧心 (concern), or 忧虑 (anxiety).

bound form
worryanxietysorrow (bound form, used in compounds)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Nǐ bú yào wèi zhè xiē xiǎo shì dān yōu.
    Don't worry about these small matters.
  • 。
    Tā zuì jìn hěn yōu xīn zì jǐ de jiàn kāng.
    He's been very worried about his health lately.
  • 。
    Mǎn liǎn yōu lǜ de yàng zi ràng rén dān xīn.
    The anxious look on his face makes people worry.

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.

Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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