Definition
恻隐之心 is a classical Chinese four-character phrase from Mencius (孟子), literally 'a heart of compassion/sympathy'. It refers to the innate human tendency to feel pity or empathy for others' suffering. In modern Chinese, it's used as a noun to describe a compassionate nature or a spontaneous feeling of sympathy. It's a set phrase — you don't split or modify it.
n.
a heart of compassioninnate sympathy for others' suffering
Examples
- ，恻隐之心。Kàndào nàxiē wú jiā kě guī de rén, tā dòng le cè yǐn zhī xīn.Seeing those homeless people, he felt compassion.
- 恻隐之心，。Rén jiē yǒu cè yǐn zhī xīn, zhè shì Mèngzǐ sīxiǎng de héxīn.Everyone has a heart of compassion — this is the core of Mencius's thought.
- ，恻隐之心，。Tā suī fùyǒu, què háo wú cè yǐn zhī xīn, duì qióngrén de kǔnàn shì ér bú jiàn.Although he is rich, he has no compassion at all and turns a blind eye to the suffering of the poor.
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