恻 cè — feel anguish · English

恻

cè

feel anguish

At a glance · 恻

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「恻」从心则声，小篆从心則声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「恻」本义为悲痛、伤痛，引申恻隐（不忍之心）。

Structure

从心、则声，形声字，心表义类，则表音，本为悲悯。

At a glance

Pinyincè

Radical忄

Strokes9

UnicodeU+607B

Character type形声

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English feel anguish feel anguish, feel compassion

Français compassion Compassion, douleur. «仁慈隐恻» : la commisération.

Español compasión Compasión, dolor. «仁慈隐恻»: la compasión.

العربية رحمة رحمة، ألم. «仁慈隐恻»: الشفقة.

Русский сострадание Сострадание, скорбь. «仁慈隐恻»: сочувствие.

Common words

恻隐cè yǐncompassion
恻cèsorrow

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