How to Write 忡 (chōng) — Meaning “Worried; anxious”

Imagine a heart (忄) placed right in the middle (中) of a worrying situation, so the heart feels anxious. This picture helps you link the meaning "worried" with the two parts of the character.

Write the left radical 忄 first: a left dot, a right dot, then a vertical stroke downwards. Then write 中: a vertical line, followed by the horizontal, another horizontal, and a final vertical line. Be careful to keep the heart radical narrow so the character stays balanced, and don't make the right part too wide.

Although 忡 (chōng) and 忉 (dāo) both involve a heart radical and feelings, 忉 specifically means "grieved and distressed" and is very rare. 忏 (chàn) means "to repent" and is used in Buddhist or religious contexts, so it has a different meaning and is more common than 忡.

Today 忡 is mostly found in the common four-character idiom 忧心忡忡 (yōu xīn chōng chōng), meaning "deeply worried or heavy-hearted." It is rarely used alone in daily conversation and appears mainly in formal writing or classical literature.

Common words containing 忡 include: 忧心忡忡 (yōu xīn chōng chōng) — Heavy-hearted; deeply worried; 忡忡 (chōng chōng) — Deeply worried; 忡然 (chōng rán) — Worriedly.