恐 kǒng fearful
fearful; to dread
怎么记住“恐”: 巩 to bind + 心 heart = fearful. Before his first bungee jump, the staff bind a rope round his ankles, his heart races, and he looks very fearful.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
恐 = 巩 to bind + 心 heart
- 巩 to bind sound
- 心 heart meaning
Before his first bungee jump, the staff bind a rope round his ankles, his heart races, and he looks very fearful.
How it came to be
The heart gives the meaning and the top part gives the sound.
用法
- Its highest-frequency use is 恐怕 (kǒngpà), a hedging "I'm afraid / probably" for bad news or estimates: 恐怕来不及了 (kǒngpà láibují le) I'm afraid there's no time left.
- That 恐怕 is a sentence adverb about likelihood, unlike 害怕 (hàipà, to literally be scared).
- Otherwise it carries real dread: 恐惧 (kǒngjù) terror, 恐怖 (kǒngbù) horror, 恐龙 (kǒnglóng) dinosaur.