TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
怕
怕 ＝ 忄 ＋ 白
ㄆㄚˋ · pà
verb — to fear, to be afraid
字源 FORM — what the parts do
忄義the heart
{b,p,f}IFTbái → pà — the {b,p,f} crossing; final and tone wear too
The heart (忄) with 白 bái for sound, b crossed to p. 說文 records an older word here: still, unstirred — the sense that now lives in 泊 (淡泊). The everyday fear took the graph for itself: 怕黑、害怕、恐怕.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
燈一滅，臉刷地白（白）了，心（忄）跳到喉嚨口。
The light goes out; the face goes white (白), and the heart (忄) leaps to the throat.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)憺怕——安靜（後來寫泊）— still, unstirred — the sense that moved to 泊
→怕、害怕— afraid常用
⇒恐怕— the soft fear — probably
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension