烦闷
fán mèn · HSK 7
moody
😤🚪 烦 = fire + head (irritated); 闷 = heart behind a door (stifled)
烦 stacks fire 火 on a head 页 — an overheated brain. 闷 traps a heart 心 behind a gate 门. Together: agitation sealed up with no outlet.
烦 — fire 火 + page/head 页
烦 combines 火 (fire) with 页 (head), depicting a feverish or burning head. The original sense was a headache caused by fever, which extended metaphorically to mental distress, irritation, and being bothered. Today it commonly means annoyed, troublesome, or vexed.
闷 — door 門 + heart 心
A semantic compound: 心 (heart) enclosed by 門 (door) depicts a heart shut behind a closed door, evoking stuffiness and depression. Read mēn it means stuffy or airless; read mèn it means bored, depressed, or sealed up tight.