Chinese word

心疼

Pronunciation

Pinyinxīn téng

Meaning

  • verbfeel sorry for

Example

孩子生病了，父母很心疼。hái zi shēng bìng le fù mǔ hěn xīn téng

The child is sick, and the parents feel sorry for them.

Illustration for 心疼 (feel sorry for)

More examples

他得知孩子被欺负后，心里特别心疼。tā dé zhī hái zi bèi qī fù hòu xīn lǐ tè bié xīn téng

After learning that the child had been bullied, he felt especially sorry for the child.

Core concept

Another person's suffering becomes an ache in the observer, joined to a wish to care for and protect that person.

Common phrases

  • 为朋友心疼wèi péng yǒu xīn téng

    feel sorry for a friend

  • 心疼父母xīn téng fù mǔ

    feel sorry for one's parents

Similar words

同情tóng qíng: Understanding someone's painful situation and feeling sorry for them.
可怜kě lián: Feeling sorry when a helpless or troubled person or creature suffers.
疼爱téng ài: Showing deep affection and tender care toward a child or family member.
怜悯lián mǐn: Feeling profound sorrow for someone who is suffering or helpless.

Definition in Chinese

为他人的痛苦或遭遇在心里感到疼惜，有时兼含想要保护或疼爱的情感。wèi tā rén de tòng kǔ huò zāo yù zài xīn lǐ gǎn dào téng xī yǒu shí jiān hán xiǎng yào bǎo hù huò téng ài de qíng gǎn

Word origin

心疼 (xīnténg, "ache for someone") combines 心 (xīn, "heart") + 疼 (téng, "hurt"), extending bodily pain into an emotional response to another person's suffering.

Usage tips

  • It is natural in conversations about illness, setbacks, exhausting work, or other hardships when the speaker's concern is directed at a person rather than an event alone.

Other meanings

  • care aboutverb

Opposites

  • 漠视mò shìignoreverb

Word lists with this word