恐惧症 (kǒng jù zhèng) — phobia

Definition

noun
phobia

Examples

  • 恐惧症。
    Tā duì zhī zhū yǒu yán zhòng de kǒng jù zhèng.
    He has a severe phobia of spiders.
  • 恐惧症。
    Shè jiāo kǒng jù zhèng ràng tā zài rén duō de dì fāng hěn jǐn zhāng.
    Social phobia makes him very nervous in crowded places.
  • ,恐惧症。
    Jīng guò zhì liáo, tā de kǒng jù zhèng yǐ jīng hǎo duō le.
    After treatment, her phobia has gotten much better.

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.

恐惧fear
联合Side by side
症zhèngdisease

恐 and 惧 both mean fear, and with 症 they name a condition of intense fear.

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.

Open 恐 →

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
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.

Open 惧 →

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
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng症zhèng
Same sound today

The left part 疒 shows it is about disease. The right part 正 is used for the sound.

Open 症 →
Appears in

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