恐 kǒng fearful
fearful; to dread
How to remember 恐: 巩 to bind + 心 heart = fearful. Before his first bungee jump, the staff bind a rope round his ankles, his heart races, and he looks very fearful.
Component breakdown
恐 = 巩 to bind + 心 heart
- 巩 to bind
- 心 heart
Before his first bungee jump, the staff bind a rope round his ankles, his heart races, and he looks very fearful.
How it is used
- Its highest-frequency use is 恐怕 (kǒngpà) - a hedging "I'm afraid / probably" for bad news or estimates: 恐怕来不及了 (kǒngpà láibují le) I'm afraid there's no time left.
- That 恐怕 is a sentence adverb about likelihood, unlike 害怕 (hàipà, to literally be scared).
- Otherwise it carries real dread: 恐惧 (kǒngjù) terror, 恐怖 (kǒngbù) horror, 恐龙 (kǒnglóng) dinosaur.