悶

The core sense is "stifling," appearing in three primary registers:

1. Physical/Environmental: Stuffy, oppressive, or humid; a lack of ventilation.

2. Cognitive: Bewildered, puzzled, or at a loss; a mental deadlock.

3. Emotional: Gloomy, depressed, or melancholy; a static form of distress characterized by confinement or boredom.

Operates as a stative adjective (describing an internal state or atmosphere) or as a psychological verb (the process of becoming confused or stifled).

Compared to other terms for sorrow: 悶 is static, inward-facing, and suffocating; 憂 focuses on future anxiety or apprehension; 愁 suggests lingering, yearning sorrow or brooding.

Variants include U+3943 and U+61E3. The modern simplified form is 闷.

The glyph combines 門 (gate/door) and 困 (troubled/besieged), conveying a sense of enclosure, stagnation, or lack of outlet.