Origin

The character combines the heart radical on the left, which marks this as a word about emotions or inner feelings, with the component 昔 (meaning "past" or "old times") on the right, which serves as a sound hint for pronunciation. The emotional sense of regret or pity comes from the heart component—these are feelings you carry internally. The frugality meanings developed because being reluctant to waste things, or sparing with resources, involves the same emotional reluctance you feel when you regret something or pity a loss. Together, the character visually represents an inner emotional resistance or unwillingness.