怜Tone 2

lián ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 忄

怜 · lián

to pity;

to feel compassion for;

to sympathize with;

to love tenderly

to pityto feel compassion forto sympathize with

Usage highlights

to pitycompassionto love tenderlyto cherishsympathypitiful

Synonyms

悯— to pity, to sympathize
惜— to cherish, to treasure
爱— to love

Antonyms

恨— to hate
厌— to dislike, to detest
憎— to hate, to loathe

Usage & contexts

Examples

I pity the poor child (可怜的孩子).
She shows great compassion (她很有怜悯心).
He loves his daughter dearly (他怜爱女儿).
This is a pitiful situation (这是令人怜悯的情形).

Collocations

to pity(可怜)
compassion(怜悯)
to love tenderly(怜爱)
to cherish(怜惜)
sympathy(同情怜)
pitiful(可怜兮兮)

Idioms

Pity the fragrance and cherish the jade(怜香惜玉)
Pitying the poor and cherishing the old(怜贫惜老)
To pity oneself and feel sorry for oneself(自怜自艾)
To pity the poor and love the talented(怜贫爱才)

Cultural background

In classical Chinese literature, 怜 often conveys deep compassion and tender affection.
The character reflects Confucian values of benevolence and Buddhist ideals of compassion.
In naming, it suggests a gentle, empathetic, and caring personality.

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