TSUMUGU · A2 (est.) · 字
恐
恐 ＝ 心 ＋ 巩
ㄎㄨㄥˇ · kǒng
verb — to fear; to be afraid (恐怕)
字源 FORM — what the parts do
巩聲gǒng — gives the soundtwo hands 廾 binding 工 tight — to hold fast
{g,k,h}Igǒng → kǒng — the {g,k,h} crossing of the initial
The heart (心) gripped tight (巩) — fear seizing it. 巩 gǒng carries the sound. The clutch of dread: 恐懼、恐怖 — and the wary guess, 恐怕.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一雙手把心（心）箍緊（巩），怕得整顆心都揪起來。
Hands clamp the heart (心) tight (巩); dread draws the whole thing in.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)恐懼、恐怖— fear; terror常用
→恐怕— I'm afraid (that); probably
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension