愤懑 (fèn mèn) — depressed and discontented; resentful (formal, literary)

Definition

A formal, literary adjective for deep, smoldering resentment and discontent — much stronger and more bookish than 生气, and typically used for long-held grievance rather than a momentary reaction.

adjective
depressed and discontentedresentful (formal, literary)

Examples

  • 愤懑。
    Tā duì zhè ge jué dìng gǎn dào shí fēn fèn mèn.
    He felt deeply resentful about this decision.
  • 愤懑，。
    Xīn zhōng chōng mǎn fèn mèn, què wú chù sù shuō.
    His heart was full of resentment, but he had no one to tell.
  • 愤懑。
    Nà piān wén zhāng biǎo dá le yì zhǒng fèn mèn de qíng xù.
    That essay expressed a mood of discontent and resentment.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

愤fènangry
懑mènvexed

愤 points to anger or resentment, and 懑 points to being weighed down; together they describe a resentful, depressed mood.

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 憤; 愤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì憤fèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憤 pairs 忄 (heart) with 賁, which gives the sound; the simplified 愤 is a later shorthand.

Open 愤 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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