顾虑
gù lǜ · HSK 7
apprehensions
😟 顾 = look back/consider + 虑 = worry; literally 'looking-back worries'
顾 means to look back or take into account, and 虑 means to ponder or worry. Together they name the nagging considerations that hold you back from acting — apprehensions you keep turning over.
顾 — page 頁 + cliff 厃 (phonetic 雇)
顧 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 頁 (head) gives the meaning of turning the head to look back, while 雇 supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to turn and gaze,' which extended to 'consider, care for, attend to.' The simplified form 顾 keeps the same structure with 页.