悲天悯人 (bēi tiān mǐn rén) — to lament the state of the world and feel compassion for the people; deeply grieved by society's suffering

Definition

Literary idiom meaning 'to grieve for the world's suffering and feel compassion for its people' — used for a deep, moral concern about society, often in writing about thinkers, writers, or leaders.

idiom
to lament the state of the world and feel compassion for the peopledeeply grieved by society's suffering

Examples

  • ，悲天悯人。
    Zhè wèi shī rén yì shēng yōu guó yōu mín, zuò pǐn zhōng chōng mǎn le bēi tiān mǐn rén de qíng gǎn.
    This poet was concerned about his country and people his whole life; his works are filled with a spirit of compassion for the world.
  • ，悲天悯人，。
    Miàn duì zāi qū de kǔ nàn, tā bù jīn bēi tiān mǐn rén, jué dìng juān chū quán bù jī xù.
    Facing the suffering in the disaster area, he couldn't help but feel deep compassion and decided to donate all his savings.
  • 悲天悯人，。
    Lǔ xùn de wén zhāng zǒng shì dài zhe yì zhǒng bēi tiān mǐn rén de bǐ diào, fǎn yìng shè huì de hēi àn.
    Lu Xun's essays always carry a tone of compassionate lament, reflecting the darkness of society.

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.

悲天lament the world
悲bēilament天tiānworld
动宾Verb + object
悯人pity people
悯mǐnpity人rénpeople
动宾Verb + object

悲天 laments the world and 悯人 pities people, together expressing grief for society's suffering.

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
心心xīnheart; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi悲bēi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悲 pairs 非 as the sound part with 心, the heart/emotion part.

Open 悲 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 悯 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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