Meaning
怜悯 expresses the feeling of compassion or pity toward someone suffering or in a difficult situation. It conveys a sense of sympathetic sorrow and desire to help those who are unfortunate. The word combines the concepts of feeling tender-hearted (怜) and showing mercy or concern (悯).
Usage
怜悯 is a fairly formal or literary term often used in written Chinese, religious contexts, or serious discussions about empathy and compassion. In everyday conversation, speakers might use simpler words like 可怜 (kělián). It can function as a verb (to pity someone) or as a noun (the feeling of compassion itself).
Examples
- 01她对那些无家可归的人充满怜悯。.She is filled with compassion for those homeless people.
- 02我们应该怜悯那些遭受苦难的人，而不是嘲笑他们。, .We should show compassion to those who suffer, not mock them.
Characters
Common collocations
- 怜悯之心compassionate heart, sense of pity
- 值得怜悯deserving of pity
- 怜悯弱者to have compassion for the weak
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters contain the heart radical (心/忄), indicating emotional or mental states. 怜 originally depicted caring for someone in distress, while 悯 emphasizes sympathy and concern for others' suffering.