忌
jì · HSK 7
to be jealous of
😠 忌 = 己 (self) over 心 (heart) — the self-centered heart that fears and envies others
The bottom 心 means heart; 己 on top sounds like the jì reading and means self. A heart fixated on self breeds jealousy, dread, and the kind of scruple that makes you avoid or taboo a thing.
忌 — heart 心 + self 己 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 心 ('heart/mind') gives the meaning, while 己 ('self') supplies the sound. The heart component points to inner feelings like dread or aversion, yielding senses such as 'to fear,' 'to avoid,' or 'taboo.' From there it extended to 'jealousy' and 'anniversary of a death.'