忐 (tǎn): (in 忐忑) nervous; on edge

Meanings

等待面试结果时，她心里很忐忑。

Děngdài miànshì jiéguǒ shí, tā xīnli hěn tǎntè.

Waiting for the interview result, she felt very nervous.

考试前他忐忑不安。

Kǎoshì qián tā tǎntè bù'ān.

Before the exam he was nervous and ill at ease.

memory

Only used in 忐忑 (anxious). The shapes help you remember: 忐 is 上 (up) over 心, 忑 is 下 (down) over a heart, a heart going up and down.

radical

心 xīn

heart; mind

The heart radical in full bottom form. It marks this as a feeling and is the heart that swings up and down with nervousness.

semantic

上 shàng

up; above

Means up, 上. Stacked above the heart, it pictures a heart rising up, the unsettled feeling of 忐忑.

忐 tǎn