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怜悯 (lián mǐn) — to have compassion for; to pity

Definition

verb
to have compassion forto pity

Examples

  • ，怜悯。
    Kàn dào nà zhī liú làng māo, tā de xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le lián mǐn.
    Seeing that stray cat, her heart was filled with compassion.
  • 怜悯。
    Tā cóng bù lián mǐn nà xiē qī piàn bié rén de rén.
    He never pities those who deceive others.
  • 怜悯，。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi lián mǐn ruò zhě, ér bú shì cháo xiào tā men.
    We should have compassion for the weak, not mock them.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

怜liánpity
悯mǐnpity

'怜' and '悯' both express feeling sorry for someone, together meaning pity.

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 憐; 怜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
粦
粦lín憐lián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憐 combines 心 (heart) with 粦, which gives it its sound; the simplified 怜 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 怜 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 悯 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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