惜 xī — pity; regret; rue; begrudge
我们要爱惜粮食，不要浪费。Wǒ men yào ài xī liáng shi, bú yào làng fèi.We should cherish food and not waste it.
Common words: 可惜 (kě xī)、珍惜 (zhēn xī)、爱惜 (ài xī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "pity"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "pity", including 惜 (xī), 哀 (āi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "pity" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 惜 (xī), 哀 (āi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xī, āi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 惜 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 惜 xīpity; regret; rue; begrudgeUseful words: 可惜, 珍惜
- 哀 āisorrow; grief; pity; to grieve for; to pity; to lamentUseful words: 悲哀, 哀求
Common words for these 2 "pity" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 惜 (xī) — so "pity" 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 "pity".
哀 āi — sorrow; grief; pity; to grieve for; to pity; to lament
听到这个不幸的消息，大家都很悲哀。Tīng dào zhè ge bú xìng de xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu hěn bēi āi.Hearing this unfortunate news, everyone was very sad.
Common words: 悲哀 (bēi āi)、哀求 (āi qiú)、喜怒哀乐 (xǐ nù āi lè)
All 2 characters
Open 惜、哀 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.