慈悲
cíbēi
In Chinese, mercy can be expressed as 慈悲 (cíbēi). Wiktionary also lists 同情 (tóngqíng).
Meaning: forgiveness or compassion (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 慈悲 | cíbēi |
| 同情 | tóngqíng |
The term 慈悲 is used to describe profound compassion, particularly in a spiritual or religious context. It is the appropriate way to speak about the mercy shown by a deity, a Buddha or a highly enlightened being.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 慈悲 is composed of two parts: 慈 (cí), which means kindness or motherly love and 悲 (bēi), which means compassion or sorrow.
Which one should you use?
While 慈悲 refers to profound, often religious or spiritual compassion, 同情 refers to more common, everyday sympathy or the feeling of pity for someone's situation.
How do you pronounce it?
cíbēi
When do people say it?
In a Buddhist context, 慈悲 represents the virtue of wishing for others to be happy and to be free from suffering.
Did you know?
- The term 慈悲 is actually a direct linguistic translation of the Sanskrit words for 'loving-kindness' and 'compassion'.
- In many East Asian cultures, 慈悲 is not just a feeling but a formal quality of a ruler. A 'merciful' leader was traditionally seen as mirroring the benevolence of a parent to their children.
- The word 同情 for sympathy contains the character 同, meaning 'same'. This implies that the person feels 'the same' emotion as the sufferer, literally sharing the feeling.
Examples in context
- 在这个世界上，我们应该以恩慈的心态对待每个人。In this world, we should treat everyone with a merciful attitude.
- 他总是对别人的痛苦表现出极大的怜悯之情。He always shows great compassion towards others' suffering.
- 他请求敌人饶命，并保证将来不再反抗。He begged his enemies for mercy and promised not to resist anymore in the future.
- 他是一个充满慈悲心的人。Tā shì yīgè chōngmǎn cíbēi xīn de rén.He is a person full of mercy.
- 我们要对弱者心存慈悲。Wǒmen yào duì ruòzhě xīn cún cíbēi.We should have mercy toward the weak.
- 这种慈悲的精神令人感动。Zhè zhǒng cíbēi de jīngshén lìng rén gǎndòng.This spirit of mercy is touching.
Example conversation
Wei and Jiayi are discussing a character in a novel.
- 伟 Wei这个角色很有慈悲心。Zhège juésè hěn yǒu cíbēi xīn.This character has a lot of mercy.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，他非常善良。Shì de, tā fēicháng shànliáng.Yes, he is very kind.
- 伟 Wei他的慈悲救了很多人。Tā de cíbēi jiùle hěnduō rén.His mercy saved many people.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我非常喜欢这个故事。Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuān zhège gùshì.I like this story very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mercy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 慈悲, CC BY-SA 4.0.
