Meaning
怨 expresses feelings of resentment, blame, or grievance toward someone or something. As a verb, it means to harbor resentment or to blame. As a noun, it refers to the resentment or grudge itself. It often appears in literary or formal contexts and carries a deeper emotional weight than simple dissatisfaction.
Usage
This character frequently appears in compounds like 抱怨 (bào yuàn, to complain) and 怨恨 (yuàn hèn, to resent deeply). On its own, 怨 is more literary and less common in everyday speech. Native speakers often use it to describe harboring negative feelings over time rather than momentary annoyance.
Examples
- 01他心里一直怨我没有帮他。.He has always resented me for not helping him.
- 02做事不要怨天尤人，要从自己身上找原因。, .When doing things, don't blame heaven and others; look for reasons within yourself.
Common collocations
- 怨天尤人to blame heaven and others (idiom)
- 无怨无悔without resentment or regret
- 怨气resentment, grievance
- 民怨public resentment
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines 夗 (yuàn, coiled/bent) as the phonetic component with 心 (xīn, heart) as the semantic radical, suggesting emotions that twist or weigh on the heart.