厭

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

厂 (cliff; slope) — semantic component

猒 (to be satiated; to loathe) — phonetic and semantic component

猒 depicts a dog eating meat with its mouth, conveying the idea of having eaten too much. From this physical sense of over-satiation, the meaning extended to mental weariness, disgust, and aversion.

When 厂 was added, the character acquired its current form, reinforcing a sense of pressure, heaviness, or oppression, which aligns with emotional aversion.

염오 (厭惡) — hatred; disgust

염증 (厭症) — aversion; pathological dislike

염세 (厭世) — pessimism; world-weariness

권태염 (倦怠厭) — boredom and aversion

厭 typically conveys subjective emotion, unlike 嫌, which often implies social disapproval or fault-finding.

Compared with 惡 (evil; hate), 厭 emphasizes fatigue, saturation, or emotional overload, not moral judgment.

Common in literary, philosophical, and psychological contexts.

Related characters:

嫌 — to dislike; to find fault with

惡 — evil; hatred

倦 — weary; fatigued

壓 — to press; to oppress (phonetic loan relation)