将心比心 (jiāng xīn bǐ xīn) — (chengyu) to put oneself in someone else's shoes; to be empathetic

Definition

A chengyu meaning to put yourself in another's shoes and imagine their feelings — to empathize genuinely, not just understand logically.

idiom
(chengyu) to put oneself in someone else's shoesto be empathetic

Examples

  • 将心比心，。
    Nǐ yě yào jiāng xīn bǐ xīn, xiǎng xiǎng tā dāng shí de chǔ jìng.
    You should also put yourself in his shoes and think about his situation at that time.
  • 将心比心，。
    Tā zuò shì zǒng shì néng jiāng xīn bǐ xīn, suǒ yǐ péng you men dōu hěn xǐ huan tā.
    She always acts with empathy, so her friends all like her very much.
  • 将心比心，。
    Rú guǒ nǐ xué huì jiāng xīn bǐ xīn, rén jì guān xì huì gǎi shàn hěn duō.
    If you learn to put yourself in others' shoes, your interpersonal relationships will improve a lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

将心take a heart
将jiāngtake心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object
比心compare hearts
比bǐcompare心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object

将心 means to take a heart, and 比心 means to compare hearts, together giving empathy.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 將; 将 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán將jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 將 combines 爿, which also supplies a sound and may show a small table, with ⺼ (meat) and 寸 (hand) to picture offering meat as tribute. The simplified 将 is a later shorthand.

Open 将 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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