焦 jiāo scorched
burned; scorched; anxious; burnt; worried; coke
How it came to be
A short-tailed bird standing over fire. It is not cooking: the bird is small and the fire is under it. The word is what happens when a thing is left on the flame too long.
How it is used
- Two senses: scorched/burnt, and anxious - 烧焦 (shāojiāo) to burn/char, 焦炭 coke (fuel).
- Anxiety thread: 焦急 (jiāojí) anxious/worried, 焦虑 (jiāolǜ) anxiety, 焦躁 (jiāozào) fretful and restless.
- 焦点 (jiāodiǎn) = focal point/focus (焦点问题 the key issue); 聚焦 (jùjiāo) to focus.
- 心急如焦 / 焦头烂额 (jiāotóu-làn'é) = utterly frazzled and overwhelmed.