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)
Easily confused
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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