同情
tóngqíng · HSK 4
sympathize with
🤝 同 (same) + 情 (feeling) = share the same feeling = sympathize
同 means same/together, 情 means feeling or emotion. To sympathize is literally to have the same feeling as someone else — feeling with them rather than just for them.
同 — 冂 enclosure + 一 + 口 mouth
Originally depicted multiple mouths gathered under one cover or enclosure, suggesting people speaking together in agreement. From this image of voices joining, it came to mean 'same,' 'together,' or 'alike.' The shared cover symbolizes unity.
情 — heart radical 忄 + 青 (qīng)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 signals that the meaning involves feelings or inner states, while 青 supplies the sound 'qing'. Originally referring to genuine feelings or emotion arising from the heart, 情 expanded to cover sentiment, affection, and circumstances or situations more broadly.