忑 (tè): (in 忐忑) nervous; on edge

Meanings

收到信后，他心里一直忐忑。

Shōudào xìn hòu, tā xīnli yīzhí tǎntè.

After receiving the letter, his heart stayed on edge.

站在老板面前，她忐忑不安。

Zhàn zài lǎobǎn miànqián, tā tǎntè bù'ān.

Standing before the boss, she felt anxious and uneasy.

memory

Only used in 忐忑 (anxious). 忑 is 下 (down) over 心; paired with 忐 (up over heart), the two picture a heart bouncing up and down with worry.

radical

心 xīn

heart; mind

The heart radical in full bottom form. It marks this as a feeling and is the heart that drops and rises with nervous unease.

semantic

下 xià

down; below

Means down, 下. Stacked above the heart, it pictures a heart sinking down, completing the up-and-down image of 忐忑.

忑 tè