轻 qīng — light; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportant
这个箱子很轻，我一个人就能搬。Zhè ge xiāng zi hěn qīng, wǒ yí ge rén jiù néng bān.This box is very light; I can carry it by myself.
Common words: 年轻 (nián qīng)、轻松 (qīng sōng)、轻易 (qīng yì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "gentle"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "gentle", including 轻 (qīng), 徐 (xú), 慈 (cí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "gentle" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 轻 (qīng), 徐 (xú), 慈 (cí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qīng, xú, cí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 轻 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 轻 qīnglight; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportantUseful words: 年轻, 轻松
- 徐 xúslow; gentle; Xu (a surname)Useful words: 徐徐, 徐行
- 慈 cícompassionate; gentle; merciful; kind; humaneUseful words: 仁慈, 慈祥
Common words for these 3 "gentle" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 轻 (qīng) — so "gentle" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
年轻nián qīngyoung轻松qīng sōnglight; gentle; relaxed; effortless轻易qīng yìeasy; simple; rashly; offhandedly徐徐xú xúslowly; gently徐行xú xíngto walk slowly; to stroll徐步xú bùto stroll; to walk slowly仁慈rén cíbenevolent; charitable; kind; kindly慈祥cí xiángkindly; benevolent (often of older person)慈善cí shànbenevolent; charitable
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "gentle".
徐 xú — slow; gentle; Xu (a surname)
微风徐徐地吹过田野。Wēi fēng xú xú de chuī guò tián yě.A breeze blew gently across the fields.
Common words: 徐徐 (xú xú)、徐行 (xú xíng)、徐步 (xú bù)
慈 cí — compassionate; gentle; merciful; kind; humane
奶奶是一位慈祥的老人。Nǎi nai shì yí wèi cí xiáng de lǎo rén.Grandma is a kind old lady.
Common words: 仁慈 (rén cí)、慈祥 (cí xiáng)、慈善 (cí shàn)
All 3 characters
Open 轻、徐、慈 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.