Origin

The left side, the heart radical, shows this character relates to feelings or states of mind. The right component, pronounced like "bō" or "mō", acts as a sound hint for how to say the character. Together they form the idea of a state of mental agitation or unease — the heart is troubled or overwhelmed, which is what being busy and restless really feels like. The original meaning captured the inner experience of being occupied and anxious, not just the external fact of having much to do.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).