同情

• Pinyin: tóng qíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 同 = 冂(enclosure) + 口 (mouth); 情 = 忄(heart) + 青 (blue/green, phonetic)

Meaning

To sympathise; to feel compassion for someone; sympathy.

Expresses genuine emotional sharing of another person's pain or difficulty. Stronger than simply feeling sorry — implies a real sense of resonance with another's suffering. Can be used as a verb (同情某人) or as a noun concept (充满同情). Common in literary and everyday contexts.

Examples

1. 大家都很同情那位独自抚养三个孩子的母亲。 Everyone had great sympathy for the mother raising three children on her own.
2. 她对贫困山区的孩子充满了深深的同情。 She was filled with deep compassion for the children in impoverished mountain areas.
3. 他同情朋友的遭遇，但自己也无能为力。 He sympathised with his friend's plight, but was powerless to help.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, social

Tone: empathetic

Do Say

• 我非常同情他的遭遇。(I have great sympathy for what he went through.)
• 她用同情的眼神看着受伤的小动物。(She looked at the injured animal with sympathetic eyes.)

Don't Say

• 不要把同情与怜悯混用 — 同情 (sympathy/compassion) is more neutral and respectful; 怜悯 (pity) can sound condescending and is better avoided with adults.

Origin & History

Compound of 同 (together/same) and 情 (feeling/emotion), literally 'feeling together with someone' — the essence of sympathy.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal