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仁爱 (rén ài) — benevolence, humanity, love for one's fellow humans

Definition

A formal, Confucian-rooted word for 'benevolence / humanity' — love and care for other people, often paired with 之心 or 精神. More lofty and written than everyday words like 善良.

noun
benevolencehumanitylove for one's fellow humans

Examples

  • 仁爱。
    Tā yǒu yì kē rén ài zhī xīn.
    He has a benevolent heart.
  • 仁爱。
    rén ài Shì wǒ men shè huì de jī shí.
    Benevolence is the cornerstone of our society.
  • 仁爱。
    Zhè wèi jiào yù jiā yì shēng tuī guǎng rén ài jīng shén.
    This educator promoted the spirit of humanity throughout his life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

仁rénbenevolence
爱àilove

仁 (benevolence) and 爱 (love) combine to mean humane affection.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
二二èr
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén仁rén
Same sound today

仁 is built from 人 and 二; 人 gives the sound, and 二 gives the meaning.

Open 仁 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →
Appears in
Chinese Culture & CustomsPersonality & Traits

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