慨

A phono-semantic compound:

心 — semantic element meaning heart; emotion

旣 / 既 — phonetic element providing the sound 개 (gai / kai)

The character originally described sighing or lamenting from the heart, and later developed meanings related to indignation and moral outrage.

Meaning development:

- to sigh deeply; to lament

- to grieve over circumstances

- to feel indignation at injustice

- righteous or emotional outrage

Thus, 慨 frequently implies ethical or emotional seriousness, not mere sadness.

분개 (憤慨) — indignation; righteous anger

감개 (感慨) — deep emotional reflection

탄개 (嘆慨) — to sigh and lament

격개 (激慨) — passionate indignation

In classical literature, 慨 often appears together with 歎 (to sigh) or 憤 (anger), forming expressions of moral lamentation rather than private sorrow.

慨然而歎 — He sighed deeply with emotion.

慷慨激昂 — To be stirred with lofty indignation.

聞之而慨 — Upon hearing it, he felt indignant.

Related characters:

憤 — anger; resentment

嘆 — to sigh; to lament

哀 — sorrow

悲 — grief

This character has regional graphic differences:

Korean standard form: 慨 (心 + 旣)

Chinese & Japanese form: 慨 (心 + 既)

Because 既 has one more stroke than 旣, the stroke count differs:

Korean form: 12 strokes

Chinese/Japanese form: 13 strokes

This is a rare but notable case where Korean orthography preserves an older component form.