jan4 ci4仁慈
Jyutpingjan4 ci4
Yaleyàhn chìh
Definition
Benevolent, merciful, and kind; showing tolerance and love towards others.
neutraldescriptionspeople
How it's used
仁慈 carries a slightly formal or elevated tone compared to common adjectives like 好人 or 善良. It is frequently used in contexts involving authority figures, such as bosses, judges, or religious leaders, who have the power to punish but choose to show grace instead. Using it to describe a casual friend might sound overly dramatic or literary.
Examples
He is very benevolent to his staff and never scolds anyone.
Can you be a bit more merciful and let him off this once?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 仁慈 with 善良. While 善良 describes a person's inherent good nature, 仁慈 specifically implies a position of power or the ability to inflict harm, emphasizing the choice to be gentle or forgiving rather than strict.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
