惻隱之心

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Chinese

to be sympathetic; to be empathetic; to feel compassion 's; him/her/it; this heart; mind
trad. (惻隱之心) 惻隱 之 心
simp. (恻隐之心) 恻隐 之 心

Etymology

From Mencius (《孟子·公孫丑上》):

所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
所以谓人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍见孺子将入于井，皆有怵惕恻隐之心。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Suǒyǐ wèi rén jiē yǒu bù rěn rén zhī xīn zhě, jīn rén zhà jiàn rúzǐ jiāng rù yú jǐng, jiē yǒu chùtì cèyǐn zhī xīn.
When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.

Pronunciation

Idiom

惻隱之心

  1. feeling of compassion; heart of sympathy

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (惻隱之心):
  • → Korean: 측은지심(惻隱之心) (cheugeunjisim)
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