恻隐

惻隱

cèyǐn

adjective

Meanings

1 compassionate
2 moved by pity
3 sympathetic

Characters

Examples

他动了恻隐之心，把流浪狗带回了家。

Tā dòng le cèyǐn zhī xīn, bǎ liúlàng gǒu dài huí le jiā.

Moved by compassion, he took the stray dog home.

看到难民的处境，谁能不生恻隐之心？

Kàndào nànmín de chǔjìng, shéi néng bù shēng cèyǐn zhī xīn?

Seeing the refugees' plight, who could fail to feel compassion?

Tips

history

Almost always appears in the literary phrase 恻隐之心 'a heart of compassion,' from Mencius (《孟子·公孙丑上》): 恻隐之心，仁之端也 'compassion is the beginning of benevolence.' Mencius listed it as one of the four innate moral sprouts (四端) all humans share.

Stroke Order

恻 cè

隐 yǐn