惧怕 (jù pà) — to fear, to dread | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

惧怕 means 'to fear, to dread' and emphasizes a deep, persistent fear of something specific. Stronger and more literary than the everyday 害怕.

verb

to fearto dread

Examples

惧怕。
Tā fēi cháng jù pà shī qù zhè fèn gōng zuò.
He greatly fears losing this job.
，惧怕。
Miàn duì wēi xiǎn, tā xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le jù pà.
Facing danger, her heart was filled with fear.
惧怕，。
Rén men jù pà zhàn zhēng, kě wàng hé píng.
People fear war and long for peace.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

惧 and 怕 both mean fear, so the sense reinforces 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.

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.

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

白

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

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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