怒

A phono-semantic compound:

心 (“heart, mind”) — semantic element, pointing to emotion.

奴 (no / nú, “slave, servant”) — phonetic element.

In bronze inscriptions, the character sometimes used 女 (“woman”) instead of 奴, emphasizing the emotional side rather than phonetics.

Thus the character depicts a heart stirred violently, leading to rage or anger.

怒火 (노화) — flames of anger

喜怒哀樂 (희노애락) — the four emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure

憤怒 (분노) — wrath, fury

大怒 (대노) — great anger

激怒 (격노) — to enrage, to infuriate

In Confucian ethics, 怒 is viewed as a natural emotion but one to be controlled; unrestrained anger disrupts harmony.

In Daoist writings, 怒 often symbolizes disruptive passions opposed to tranquility (靜).

In Buddhism, 怒 belongs to the “three poisons” (along with 貪 “greed” and 癡 “delusion”), representing harmful states of mind.

In Korean, the correct reading is 성낼 노, though many mistakenly say “로” in compounds like 희로애락 or 대로 due to phonological shifts.