情结
qíngjiē · HSK 7
complex
🪢 情结 = 情 emotion + 结 knot; a complex is a knot of feelings you cannot untie
情 means feeling or emotion and 结 means knot or tie (as in tying a knot). A psychological complex is a tangled knot of emotions, like the 恋母情结 mother-complex. The knot sense of 结 also gives the verb to tie.
情 — heart radical 忄 + 青 (qīng)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 signals that the meaning involves feelings or inner states, while 青 supplies the sound 'qing'. Originally referring to genuine feelings or emotion arising from the heart, 情 expanded to cover sentiment, affection, and circumstances or situations more broadly.
结 — silk radical 糸 + lucky 吉 (phonetic)
结 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 糸 on the left signals the meaning, since the original sense was tying threads or cords into knots. The right side 吉 (jí) provides the sound. From the literal 'knot' it extended to figurative senses like 'bind,' 'conclude,' or 'form (a bond).'