仁 rén — humane
孔子认为做人要有仁爱之心。Kǒng zǐ rèn wéi zuò rén yào yǒu rén ài zhī xīn.Confucius believed that one should have a benevolent heart.
Common words: 仁慈 (rén cí)、见仁见智 (jiàn rén jiàn zhì)、不仁 (bù rén)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "humane"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "humane", including 仁 (rén), 慈 (cí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "humane" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 仁 (rén), 慈 (cí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span rén, cí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 仁 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 仁 rénhumaneUseful words: 仁慈, 见仁见智
- 慈 cícompassionate; gentle; merciful; kind; humaneUseful words: 仁慈, 慈祥
Common words for these 2 "humane" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 仁 (rén) — so "humane" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "humane".
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 2 characters
Open 仁、慈 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.