恐惧 (kǒng jù) — frightened; terrified; fearful | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal written word for deep fear or terror, as a feeling or state. Stronger than 怕 (everyday 'to be afraid of'); close to 恐怖 but emphasizes the inner emotion rather than what causes it.

adjective

frightenedterrifiedfearful

Examples

，恐惧。
Tā miàn duì hēi àn, gǎn dào fēi cháng kǒng jù.
She felt very frightened when facing the darkness.
恐惧。
Zhè zhǒng kǒng jù de qíng xù ràng wǒ shuì bù zháo.
This kind of fearful emotion keeps me from sleeping.
恐惧，。
Tā kàn le yí bù kǒng jù de kǒng bù piàn, xià dé bù gǎn shuì jiào.
He watched a terrifying horror movie and was too scared to sleep.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

From 恐 and 惧, both meaning fear, forming a stronger sense of dread.

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

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢀜

𢀜𢀜恐kǒng

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

恐 is written with 心 (heart). The older form pairs 心 with 𢀜; the modern form can be read as 巩 above 心.

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

忄具惧

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

具

具jù惧jù

Same sound today

In 惧, the left part is 忄, the heart, and the right part 具 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Emotions & Feelings 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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