quiet, sad

悄 is composed of the radical 心 (heart) and 肖 (wane, resemble). 心 signifies emotions or the mind, while 肖 conveys the idea of the moon’s light gradually diminishing, implying darkness. Thus, 悄 refers to a darkened state of mind, originally meaning sorrow or melancholy. A sorrowful person tends to remain silent, so 悄 also means quiet or silent.