憐憫

• 読み: れんびん
• ローマ字: renbin
• 漢字の分解: 憐 (ren) — pity, compassion; 憫 (bin) — pity, sympathise
• 発音: /ɾem.bin/

意味

Pity; compassion; sympathy; tender sorrow for someone else's suffering or misfortune.

A literary noun conveying merciful sorrow for another's pain. 憐憫の情 (a feeling of pity) and 憐憫を感じる (to feel compassion) are standard expressions. The word sits between empathy and condescension — one can show 憐憫 while still looking upon someone from a position of relative privilege, which is why it can carry a slightly paternalistic nuance in some contexts.

例文

1. 彼の境遇を知った人々の心に、自然と憐憫の情が生まれた。
2. 弁護士は被告の生い立ちを語り、裁判官の憐憫に訴えようとした。
3. 憐憫からの施しではなく、対等な助け合いこそが真の支援だと彼は信じていた。

使い方ガイド

場面: compassion, law, literature, ethics

トーン: solemn

起源と歴史

Compound of 憐 (to pity, to feel compassion for) and 憫 (to pity, to sympathise with). Both characters are closely synonymous, together reinforcing the depth of merciful feeling. The word entered Japanese through the Sino-Japanese literary and Buddhist tradition.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated