不安
bùān · HSK 3
be uneasy
😟 不 (not) + 安 (peace) = not at peace = anxious
安 shows a woman 女 under a roof 宀, the classic image of safety and calm. Negate it with 不 and you get the opposite: restlessness, unease, anxiety.
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
安 — roof 宀 + woman 女
A pictographic compound showing a woman 女 under a roof 宀, suggesting safety and tranquility at home. The original meaning 'peaceful, calm, safe' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It later extended to verbs like 'to settle' or 'to install'.