Taxonomy of meanings for 憂:　　

Additional information about 憂

說文解字: 【憂】，和之行也。从夊、𢝊聲。《詩》曰：布政憂憂。 【於求切】

Criteria
• GRIEF
  

  1. The current general word for deep sorrow is āi 哀 (ant. lè 樂 "profound joy"), and this word refers to an inner state of mind that typically finds expression in ritualised action, and the feeling is prototypically directed not at bereavement as such but at a deceaed person.

  2. Tòng 慟 refers to an excessive display of grief.

  3. Yōu 憂 "worry" (ant. xǐ 喜 "joy") can occasionally come to refer to intense worry with a strong admixture of grief, and this usage must be regarded as a polite periphrasis. (For the main meaning of this word see WORRY.)

  4. Bēi āi 悲哀 is a common abstract and dignified way of referring to grief.

  5. A4o nǎo 懊惱 is a common vernacular way of referring to grief, which became especially common in Buddhist literature.

• DISTRESS
  

  1. The most representative current general word for distress is probably kùn 困 (ant. ān 安 "be in a good state"), although the group of words discussed here is selected on singularly problematic grounds.

  2. Qióng 窮 (ant. tōng 通 "have a way out from a difficult situation") refers to a form form of distress as something from which it is impossible or hard to escape.

  3. Kǔ 苦 and the much rarer xīn 辛 (ant. lè 樂 "be in a joyful state") refer to a lasting objective state of distress caused by identifiable external conditions.

  4. Shāng 傷 (ant. yuè 悅 ) refers to lasting psychological distress.

  5. Yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "joyful occasion") may very occasionally be used to refer not as standardly to worries of some kind, but to an objective state of precarious trouble.

  6. Jiù 疚 refers to purely psychological and often moral distress caused by a bad conscience or the like.

• FEAR
  

  1. The most general word for any kind of passing fear is probably jù 懼 and this word naturally links with yōu 憂 "worry", and this word refers to a momentary historical moment where that fear manifested itself ( 文王乃懼 "then King Wén got scared"). Jù sǐ 懼死 is momentary fear for one's life, whereas wèi sǐ 畏死 refers to a general state where one is too frightened to sacrifice one's life.

  2. Kǒng 恐 refers primarily to intense or overwhelming possibly passing state of fear, and the word differs from jù 懼 mainly in degree of intensity and in the managability of the danger faced.

  3. Wèi 畏 is typically a stable state of reasoned fear, typically relating those who are in authority (the etymologically related wēi 威 on which relation there is much word-play in texts like ZUO), or ghosts etc, but the word also has extended generalised uses, as in wèi sǐ 畏死 "be afraid to die".

  4. Jīng 驚 refers to the sudden onset of fear when someone is faced with an unexpected danger.

  5. Lì 栗 / 慄 and zhàn 戰 is to shiver with intense fear, and the physical expression of fear can be more prominent the inner feeling expressed through shivering.

  6. Qiè 怯 "chicken-livered and unlikely to undertake risky tasks" and nuò 懦 (ant. yǒng 勇 "courage, boldness") as well as dàn 憚 "unduly prone to feelings of fear" refer to being pusilanimousness or the lack or courage where courage is required.

  7. Bù 怖 "be in a current acute state of fear" has no weakened generalised uses.

  8. Sǒng 悚 / 聳 "be fretful, given to fear; get slightly frightened" refers to mild forms of (possibly superfluous or reprehensible) fear.

  9. Jì 悸 refers to symptoms of violent heart-beat caused by intense fear.

  NB: Pà 怕 is post-Buddhist (TANG).

• WORRY
  

  1. The current general term for all sorts of troubled states of mind, as well as reasons for such states of mind, is yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "be well pleased" and lè 樂 "feel deep joy"), and this word may freely refer to troublesome matters of the present or of the future, and the word typiccally refers to a termporary state of hightened awareness of what is troublesome and concern about what should be done about it.

  2. Lu �慮 (ant. wàng 忘 "refuse to think about, ignore") refers to active reflection upon what one is worried about.

  3. Fán 煩 (ant. jìng 靜 "feel completely at peace") refers to a passive reaction of unsettled anxiousness about something other than oneself.

  4. Zào 躁 (ant. dìng 定 "be well-settled and unruffled") refers to the state of being flustered, restless and upset by worries.

  5. Jí 急 (ant. ān 安 "feel comfortable") refers to urgent and particularly acute temporary worries about something present or immediately imminent.

  6. Jí 疾 (ant. níng 寧 "feel at peace") refers to intense and profound worries about something present (and these worries may or may not be lasting).

  7. Huàn 患 (ant. lè 樂 "feel deeply happy with") refers to intense worry or concern about the possible future effects of something or the possibility of events in the future.

  8. Āi 哀 (ant. lè 樂 "feel perfectly happy with"), when it refers to intense worry rather than grief, connotes despondency and hopelessness and not just worry over possibilities.

  9. Chóu 愁 (ant. yuè 說／悅 "feel pleased"), and the rarer poetic sāo 騷, qiǎo 悄, tì 惕 refer to various shades and degrees of poetically conceived anxiousness.

  10. Shì 事 (ant. zhì 治 "well-ordered situation") can refer to the kinds of matters or affairs that cause one to be anxious or worried.

• DELIGHT
  

  1. The general current word referring to the purely psychological notion of a transitory or temporary feeling of pleasure or delight is yuè 悅 (ant. yùn 慍 "feel intensely dissatisfied with, feel offended by").

  2. The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY

  3. Xǐ 喜 (ant. yōu 憂 "worry") is openly manifested delight, manifested in an individual, visible to all, but not normally of any profound significance.

  4. Huān 歡 (ant. bēi 悲 "sadness" and chóu 愁 "worried sadness") refers to sociable temporary high spirits, not only visible to many but normally shared by a group.

  5. Kuài 快 refers to momentary elation related to or intense satisfaction with a concrete situation.

  6. Xīn 欣 refers to grateful delight in what is designed to gratify one's desires.

  7. Yú 娛 is often causative "give pleasure to", and when intransitive the word refers to a mild feeling of well-being and gratification, very close to yú 愉 "mild delight".

  8. Yí 怡 refers to a kind of open unhidden dignified satisfaction.

• HAPPY
  

  1. Fú 福 (ant. huò 禍 "misfortune") is the most common noun for material good fortune and well-being.

  2. Lè 樂 refers specifically to happiness as a rewarding inward state.

  3. Huān 歡 / 驩 / 懽 refers to a sometimes transitory form of sociable and communicative happiness.

  4. Xǐ 喜 typically refers to happiness as a response to something.

  5. Yú 愉 / 媮 refers to happy contentment with things as they are.

  6. Kuài 快 refers to a transient, acute state of happiness.

  7. Yú 娛 (ant yo1u 憂 "worry") typically refers to indulgent happiness with thing as they are.

  8. Yì 懌 is an ancient poetic word referring to dignified contentment, and the word became current in the negative 不懌 "be displeased".

  9. Yí 怡 is a fairly rare elevated poetic word referring to the state of being pleased, contented, and thus happy.

  10. Ān 安 can refer to happy peace of mind.

  11. Yuè 悅 can come to refer to a happy state of contentment with what happens to one or around one.

  12. Xìng 幸 "luck" can refer to to a serendipitously found state of happiness.

  13. Qìng 慶 is an archaic way of referring to material as well as psychological well-being.

  14. Kāng 康 is an archaic way of referring to material and physical well-being.

Word relations
• Ant: (WORRY)愉 / 愈/HAPPY2 Attributions
• Ant: (WORRY)樂/DELIGHT The equally current lè 樂 (ant. āi 哀 "grief") adds to yuè 悅 the dimensions of practical indulgence, psychological and often philosophical depth, and - very often - a dimension of joy that can be shared and appreciated by others, and that is typically lasting if not permanent. See ENJOY 1 Attribution
• Ant: (WORRY)樂/HAPPY1 Attribution
• Epithet: (WORRY)幽/DARK The most current general word for physical shadowiness and obscurity is probably yōu 幽 (ant. míng 明 "bright"), but this word often has lyrical overtones of secluded peace. 1 Attribution
• Contrast: (WORRY)患/WORRY Huàn 患 (ant. lè 樂 "feel deeply happy with") refers to intense worry or concern about the possible future effects of something or the possibility of events in the future.
• Assoc: (WORRY)懼/FEAR The most general word for any kind of passing fear is probably jù 懼 and this word naturally links with yōu 憂 "worry", and this word refers to a momentary historical moment where that fear manifested itself (文王乃懼 "then King Wén got scared"). Jù sǐ 懼死 is momentary fear for one's life, whereas wèi sǐ 畏死 refers to a general state where one is too frightened to sacrifice one's life. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (WORRY)勞/TIRED Láo 勞 refers to the state of exhaustion after extended lasting effort. 2 Attributions
• Assoc: (WORRY)煩/WORRY Fán 煩 (ant. jìng 靜 "feel completely at peace") refers to a passive reaction of unsettled anxiousness about something other than oneself.
• Assoc: (DISTRESS)苦/DISTRESS Kǔ 苦 and the much rarer xīn 辛 (ant. lè 樂 "be in a joyful state") refer to a lasting objective state of distress caused by identifiable external conditions.