How to Write 憷 (chù) — Meaning “to be afraid”

Picture your heart (忄) pounding in fear. Then imagine the right part 尗 as a person with both arms raised in terror — the shape of 尗 looks like a frightened figure. So 憷 = heart + scared pose = afraid.

Start with the left radical 忄: two dots then a vertical stroke. Then write the right side 尗: top horizontal, two vertical strokes, a horizontal, then a final dot below. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or writing the vertical strokes in the wrong order.

慢 (màn) means "slow" and uses a different right part (曼), so its meaning is completely unrelated to fear. 慴 (shè) also means "fear" but is rarer and more literary; visually, its right side 習 has more strokes than 尗. 憷 is used in everyday phrases like 发憷 (to feel nervous) and 憷场 (stage fright).

You will see 憷 in words like 发憷, meaning "to get nervous or scared" before a task, and 憷场, meaning "stage fright." For example, "上台前他有点发憷" means "He felt a bit nervous before going on stage." It is not very common in daily conversation but appears in written or spoken descriptions of fear.

Common words containing 憷 include: 发憷 (fā chù) — To feel nervous; to be scared; 憷场 (chù chǎng) — stage fright; 憷头 (chù tóu) — to feel apprehensive.