Meaning
慨 is a literary character expressing strong emotion, most commonly generosity or indignation. It rarely appears alone in modern Chinese and is primarily found in compounds. The character combines the heart radical (忄) with 既 (already), suggesting emotions that have built up and must be expressed.
Usage
This character is rarely used independently in spoken Mandarin. It appears in formal written expressions and set compounds like 慷慨 (generous), 感慨 (sigh with emotion), and 愤慨 (indignant). When you see 慨 in modern texts, it's almost always part of a two-character word.
Examples
- 01他为人慷慨，总是慨然解囊帮助别人。, .He is generous by nature and always readily opens his purse to help others.
- 02看到家乡的巨大变化，他感慨万千。, .Seeing the tremendous changes in his hometown, he was filled with emotion.
Antonyms
Origin
The character consists of the heart radical 忄(xīn) on the left, indicating emotion, and 既 (jì, already) on the right as the phonetic component. This suggests emotions that have accumulated to the point of needing expression.