慈善
císhàn
Charity in Chinese is 慈善 (císhàn).
慈善 is used to express benevolence toward those who are less fortunate. To refer specifically to a 'charity' as an institution or organization, use 慈善機構 (císhàn jīgòu). To refer to a 'charity event' or 'charity drive', use 慈善活動 (císhàn huódòng).
Meaning: benevolence to less fortunate (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 慈善 is composed of 慈 (cí), meaning 'compassion' or 'mercy' and 善 (shàn), meaning 'goodness' or 'kindness'.
How do you pronounce it?
císhàn
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, 善 is not just 'goodness' but is often associated with 'skill' or 'proficiency', creating a linguistic link between being a good person and being capable.
- In traditional Chinese thought, performing 慈善 is often seen as a way to accumulate 'merit' (gōngdé) that can benefit future generations of one's family.
- The concept of 慈 (cí) is deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy, where it specifically describes the kind of unconditional compassion a mother feels for her child.
Examples in context
- 當地企業正在聯手舉辦一項慈善活動。Local businesses are teaming up for a charity initiative.This sentence shows how businesses might collaborate for a 慈善活動 (charity event).Tatoeba #13190525 by LeviHighway, translation #13190435 by Nuel
- 汤姆捐一半他的薪水给他最喜欢的慈善机构。Tom donates half his salary to his favorite charity.Tatoeba #8658809 by slo_oth, translation #1094238 by CK
- 在香港北部石籬公共屋邨的一個社區中心裡，一堆堆月餅盒正等著在隔天的中秋節當天分發出去。月餅盒裡裝的，是本地慈善機構「惜食堂」在佳節時分收集到的 76,000 個月餅的其中一部分，將被重新分配給低收入家庭和個人。At a community center on Shek Lei public housing estate in northern Hong Kong, stacks of mooncake boxes are waiting to be distributed on Mid-Autumn Festival the following day. Inside they contain some of the 76,000 mooncakes that have been collected by Food Grace, a local charity, this holiday season to be redistributed to low-income families and individuals.This sentence describes how a local 慈善 (charity) organization redistributes food to those in need.Tatoeba #13947119 by LeviHighway, translation #12176153 by Cangarejo
- 慈善机构是社会建设的重要组成部分。Charitable organizations are an essential component of social development.
- 慈善事业涉及捐赠、救助、公益等方面。Charity involves aspects such as donations, assistance, and public welfare.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a weekend volunteer event.
- 志强 Zhiqiang妳週末想去參加慈善義賣嗎？Nǐ zhōumò xiǎng qù cānjiā císhàn yìmài ma?Do you want to go to the charity bazaar this weekend?
- 梓涵 Zihan好啊，我一直很支持慈善事業。Hǎo a, wǒ yīzhí hěn zhīchí císhàn shìyè.Sure, I have always supported charitable causes.
- 志强 Zhiqiang妳真是個熱心公益的人。Nǐ zhēnshì gè rèxīn gōngyì de rén.You are truly a person dedicated to public welfare.
- 梓涵 Zihan能用微小的力量幫助他人就很開心。Néng yòng wēixiǎo de lìliàng bāngzhù tā rén jiù hěn kāixīn.I am happy to use a little bit of my strength to help others.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “charity” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
