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忡 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
忡chōngsad, grieving; distressed, uneasyx, 7 strokes, radical 忄
忡chōnggrievedunknown, 7 strokes, radical 忄
chōng(chong1)chong T1
  1. 1sad, grieving; distressed, uneasy
  2. 2grieved
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March 24, 2026

忡chōng(chong1)

The character 忡 (chōng) conveys a deep sense of sadness and distress. It is commonly used to describe feelings of grief and unease, often associated with emotional turmoil or sorrowful situations. This character is often found in literary contexts or discussions about emotional experiences.

Strokes7Radical忄
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, expressing emotions like sadness can be seen as a reflection of one's sensitivity and depth of feeling. Literature and poetry often use characters like 忡 to convey profound emotional states, resonating with traditional values around emotional expression.

Memory tip

Imagine a heart (心) being crushed under a heavy weight (忡) that represents grief. The heart symbolizes emotions, and the weight illustrates the burden of sadness, making it easier to remember both the form and meaning of 忡.

Meanings of 忡

chōng(chong1)
1sad, grieving; distressed, uneasy
2grieved
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 忡 means.

About 忡

忡Simplified
7Strokes
忄Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 忡

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Podcast: 忡

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AI study notes for 忡

Quick Contrast

忧 (yōu) — use 忡 (chōng) to emphasize deep emotional distress over general worry.

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 忡 with similar characters like 忧 (yōu), which also means 'worry' or 'anxiety.' This character is generally used in more formal or literary contexts, so it's important to choose settings where a heightened expression of emotion is appropriate. Be mindful of the fourth tone when pronouncing chōng, as mispronunciation can alter meaning.

HSK Study Tips

Although 忡 is not part of the standard HSK vocabulary, it can enrich your understanding of emotional expressions in Chinese. Focus on connecting it with other emotional words like 悲 (bēi, sorrow) or 忧 (yōu, worry) to build a broader emotional vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often use 忡 interchangeably with other emotional characters like 忧 (yōu) or 悲 (bēi), which can lead to imprecise meanings. For example, saying '我很忧' (wǒ hěn yōu) instead of '我很忡' (wǒ hěn chōng) when expressing deep distress is incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 忡

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Etymology of 忡

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 中 represents the sound.

Memory hint

heart

Semantic (meaning)忄
+
Phonetic (sound)中
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

忡 = 忄 + 中. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 忡

IDS Structure⿰忄中
忡Full character
=
忄xin1
left
中Zhong1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 忡?

How to say sad, grieving; distressed, uneasy in Chinese

“sad, grieving; distressed, uneasy” in Chinese is忡chōng

The character 忡 (chōng) conveys a deep sense of sadness and distress. It is commonly used to describe feelings of grief and unease, often associated with emotional turmoil or sorrowful situations. This character is often found in literary contexts or discussions about emotional experiences.

When to use 忡

Learners often confuse 忡 with similar characters like 忧 (yōu), which also means 'worry' or 'anxiety.' This character is generally used in more formal or literary contexts, so it's important to choose settings where a heightened expression of emotion is appropriate. Be mindful of the fourth tone when pronouncing chōng, as mispronunciation can alter meaning.

忡 or something close to it

忧 (yōu) — use 忡 (chōng) to emphasize deep emotional distress over general worry.

What learners get wrong

Learners often use 忡 interchangeably with other emotional characters like 忧 (yōu) or 悲 (bēi), which can lead to imprecise meanings. For example, saying '我很忧' (wǒ hěn yōu) instead of '我很忡' (wǒ hěn chōng) when expressing deep distress is incorrect.

Write 忡

忡

Practice writing 忡 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar patterns of 忡

忡 carries 2 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.

Exercise 1 of 2

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

忧心____忡的家长们开了一次会。

Concerned parents held a meeting.

Example sentences for 忡 (2)

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1
忧心忡忡的家长们开了一次会。

yōu xīn chōng chōng de jiāzhǎng men kāi le yī cì huì。

Concerned parents held a meeting.
2
巴黎街上的路人往往看上去忧心忡忡、匆匆忙忙而且不太友善。

Bā lí jiē shàng de lùrén wǎngwǎng kànshangqu yōu xīn chōng chōng、 cōngcōng máng máng érqiě bùtài yǒushàn。

Parisians on the street often looked worried, hurried and unfriendly.

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Word Family of 忡

Words containing this character2
忧心忡忡deeply worried and sick at heart (idiom)憂心忡忡
忡chōnggrieved
Exercise 1 of 1

Words with 忡

What does 忧心忡忡 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 忡

While both characters express sadness, 忡 (chōng) connotes a deeper, more distressing emotional state, whereas 悲 (bēi) is more commonly used for general sorrow.

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