慈 (cí) — (bound form) compassionate; kind; loving; (bound form, formal) mother (in compounds like 慈母, 家慈)
Definition
慈 (cí) is a bound, formal/literary root meaning 'compassionate, kind' — it almost never stands alone and appears mainly in set compounds like 慈善, 慈祥, and 慈母 (loving mother).
bound form
compassionatekindloving(bound form, formal) mother (in compounds like 慈母, 家慈)
Examples
- ，。Zhè wèi lǎo rén fēi cháng cí xiáng, hái zi men dōu xǐ huan tā.This old man is very kind, and all the children like him.
- 。Wǒ men gōng sī jīng cháng cān jiā cí shàn huó dòng.Our company often participates in charitable activities.
- ，。Tā xiě le yì fēng xìn gěi cí mǔ, biǎo dá sī niàn zhī qíng.He wrote a letter to his loving mother, expressing his longing.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
茲
茲zī慈cí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
慈 has 心 (heart) below 茲, which gives its sound; the heart shows the character relates to feelings such as kindness and love.
Appears in
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