Chinese Idiom: 恻隐之心 (Ce Yin Zhi Xin)
English Translation: Heart of Compassion
pīn yīn: cè yǐn zhī xīn
Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to the feeling of sympathy that arises from witnessing the misfortunes of others. “恻隐” indicates a compassionate response to someone else’s suffering.
Historical Source: 孟子 · 公孙丑上 (Mencius, Book 1, Chapter 1)
Idiom Story:
In his dialogues with Gongsun Chou, the Confucian philosopher Mencius introduced the concept of inherent goodness in human nature. He posited that every person is born with innate moral sensibilities, such as benevolence (仁), righteousness (义), propriety (礼), and wisdom (智). This idea forms a crucial aspect of Mencius’s idealist philosophy within the Confucian framework.
Mencius believed that everyone possesses a natural inclination to empathize with others. For instance, if someone sees a child about to fall into a well, the instinctive reaction is one of shock and concern for the child’s safety. Mencius elaborated on the process by which this sense of compassion arises. He stated:
“非所以内交于孺子之父母也，非所以要誉于乡党朋友也，非恶其声而然也。由是观之，无恻隐之心，非人也；无羞恶之心，非人也；无辞让之心，非人也；无是非之心，非人也。恻隐之心，仁之端也；羞恶之心，义之端也；辞让之心，礼之端也；是非之心，智之端也。人之有是四端也，犹其有四体也。”
This passage conveys that the emergence of compassion is not motivated by a desire to build relationships with the child’s parents, to gain a good reputation among friends, or simply out of dislike for the child’s cries. Thus, Mencius asserts that a person without compassion is not truly human. Likewise, he states that lacking a sense of shame, a spirit of self-restraint, or the ability to discern right from wrong also disqualifies one from humanity.
He argues that compassion is the seed of benevolence, the sense of shame is the root of righteousness, the spirit of self-restraint is the foundation of propriety, and the ability to discern right from wrong is the basis of wisdom. These four innate tendencies are as natural to humans as their limbs, indicating that they are inherent to human existence.
This discussion on 恻隐之心 illustrates Mencius’s belief in the natural empathy that humans share, emphasizing the moral foundations that underlie human relationships and societal harmony.
