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饶恕 (ráo shù) — to forgive, to pardon (formal, for serious offenses); to spare (someone's life)

Definition

A formal verb for pardoning serious offenses or sparing a life — heavier than 原谅, which is the everyday 'forgive'. 宽恕 is close in register but stresses magnanimity rather than legal/serious pardon.

verb
to forgiveto pardon (formal, for serious offenses)to spare (someone's life)

Examples

  • 饶恕。
    Tā guì xià lái qǐng qiú wǒ ráo shù tā de zuì xíng.
    He knelt down and begged me to forgive his crime.
  • 饶恕。
    Jiāng jūn zuì zhōng jué dìng ráo shù nà xiē fú lǔ.
    The general finally decided to spare those prisoners.
  • 饶恕。
    Fǎ lǜ bú huì ráo shù zhè yàng de yán zhòng bèi pàn.
    The law will not pardon such a serious betrayal.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

饶ráoforgive/spare
恕shùforgive

Both 饶 and 恕 carry a sense of forgiving or sparing, so together they mean to pardon.

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 饒; 饶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
食食shífood
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo饒ráo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 饒 uses 食 (food) for meaning and 堯 for sound; the simplified 饶 is a later shorthand.

Open 饶 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
如
如rú恕shù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

恕 combines 心, the heart, which gives the sense area, with 如, which provides the sound.

Open 恕 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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