Chinese word

慈善

Pronunciation

Pinyincí shàn

Meaning

  • nouncharity

Example

他经常做慈善，帮助穷人。tā jīng cháng zuò cí shàn bāng zhù qióng rén

He often does charity work and helps poor people.

Illustration for 慈善 (charity)

More examples

学校组织了一次慈善义卖，所得款项捐给了需要的人。xué xiào zǔ zhī le yí cì cí shàn yì mài suǒ de kuǎn xiàng juān gěi le xū yào de rén

The school held a charity sale and donated the proceeds to people in need.

Core concept

Compassion made practical through voluntary service that helps people in need or strengthens the wider community.

Common phrases

  • 举行慈善晚会jǔ xíng cí shàn wǎn huì

    host a charity gala

  • 慈善捐赠cí shàn juān zèng

    charitable donation

  • 慈善事业cí shàn shì yè

    charitable work

Similar words

公益gōng yì: An activity or project intended to serve the public good rather than make a profit.
捐赠juān zèng: The act of freely giving money or goods to people or groups that need them.
爱心ài xīn: A caring feeling toward people in trouble, with a desire to support them.
善举shàn jǔ: A concrete good deed done to help a person in need.

Definition in Chinese

为援助有需要的人或改进社会状况而进行的非营利性捐助或服务活动。wèi yuán zhù yǒu xū yào de rén huò gǎi jìn shè huì zhuàng kuàng ér jìn xíng de fēi yíng lì xìng juān zhù huò fú wù huó dòng

Word origin

慈 (cí, "compassion") and 善 (shàn, "goodness") form a transparent compound in which caring feeling is linked to socially good action.

Usage tips

  • The word fits both giving resources and providing services, so it covers more than fundraising alone in everyday Chinese.

Opposites

  • 利己主义lì jí zhǔ yìselfishnessnoun

Related words

  • 慈善组织cí shàn zǔ zhīcharitable organizationnoun
  • 慈善事业cí shàn shì yècharity worknoun

Word lists with this word