闷 (mèn) — stuffy (airless); bored; depressed (feeling shut-in)
Definition
As an adjective (mèn), 闷 covers two things: stuffy air (rooms) and a bored/depressed mood from being shut in. Compare 无聊 (bored of something boring); 烦闷 is heavier gloom; 闷热 is specifically sultry weather.
adjective
stuffy (airless)boreddepressed (feeling shut-in)
Examples
- ，闷。Chuāng hu guān zhe, wū lǐ hěn mèn.The windows are closed; it's very stuffy inside.
- 闷，。Tā zuì jìn xīn qíng hěn mèn, bù xiǎng chū mén.He's been feeling very depressed lately and doesn't want to go out.
- 闷。Yí gè rén zài jiā dài zhe tài mèn le.Staying at home alone is too boring.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 悶; 闷 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén悶mēn
Same sound today
The traditional form 悶 has 門 as a sound part and 心 as a meaning part; the simplified 闷 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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