憂

Core sense is a state of psychological pressure or tension, spanning a spectrum between grief (reaction to loss) and anxiety (apprehension of future threat). It frequently denotes a "burdened" heart—a state of preoccupation or agitation rather than passive melancholy.

• Verb: To worry; to grieve; to be anxious about [object].
• Adjective: Anxious, distressed, or sad.
• Noun: The emotion itself (grief/anxiety) or the source of the distress (the burden or cause of worry).

• 悲 (bēi): Generally a more acute, piercing sorrow; often a reaction to an event, whereas 憂 is typically more chronic or sustained.
• 慮 (lǜ): Emphasizes deliberation, planning, or calculating. When these processes become obsessive or fearful, they shift into 憂.
• 患 (huàn): The external calamity, affliction, or objective source of worry; 憂 is the internal emotional state resulting from it.
• 愁 (chóu): Associated with a lingering, internalized melancholy or brooding state.

Tang-period reading: *qiou (Fanqie: 於求). Variants include U+61EE and simplified form U+5FE7.

In Confucian or Daoist contexts, determine if the glyph is presented as a pathology (an agitation to be overcome for equanimity) or as a virtue (the "noble worry" or compassion felt by a responsible ruler or superior person for others).