慌

A phono-semantic compound:

心 (“heart, mind”) — semantic element, indicating emotion or mental state.

荒 (hwang / huāng, “wasteland, wild, desolate”) — phonetic element, also suggesting disorder or lack of control.

Thus the character evokes a disordered or unsettled state of mind — as barren and unstable as a wilderness.

慌張 (황장) — flustered, panicked

驚慌 (경황) — alarm, panic, terror

慌忙 (황망 — in a hurry, hurriedly

慌亂 (황란) — confusion, disarray

慌惚 (황홀) — dazed, entranced, bewildered

In literature, 慌 often captures the fleeting loss of composure in moments of danger, urgency, or emotional intensity.

In Buddhist texts, 慌 may describe the restless or bewildered mind, contrasted with calm clarity (定, 禪).

The pairing 驚慌 (“fright and panic”) is especially common, showing how an external shock (驚) leads to an internal disarray (慌).