mercy
Definitions
Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone you have the power to punish or harm
仁慈；宽恕；（对可惩处之人的）饶恕
Something to be grateful for; a fortunate or lucky thing (as in 'a mercy')
值得庆幸的事，幸事（如 a mercy）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin mercēs ('pay, reward,' a sibling of merx 'goods') through Old French merci. In Christian Latin the great 'reward' was God's grace toward sinners; that sense of an unearned favor handed down from above softened into pardon and pity. To beg for mercy is to ask for a reward you do not deserve.
Root merx still carries 9 more wordsWhy It Means This
Mercy is the warm surprise of the merx family. The root mostly means goods and pay (commerce, merchant, mercenary), all about cold exchange. But mercēs 'reward' took a religious turn: the reward that mattered to medieval Christians was divine grace, the favor God shows sinners who cannot pay their debt. From 'heaven's reward' it slid to 'pardon, pity' — which is why mercy always involves a power gap: the strong sparing the weak. The mercenary fights for cash; mercy gives without charge.
Common Collocations
- 1.beg for mercy乞求宽恕
- 2.show mercy心慈手软
- 3.at the mercy of任由…摆布
- 4.have mercy on怜悯…
Example Sentences
- 1.
The prisoners begged the king for mercy.
- 2.
She showed no mercy to her opponents on the tennis court.
- 3.
It was a mercy that no one was hurt in the crash.
- 4.
The refugees were left at the mercy of the storm.
Easily Confused
mercy vs pity vs compassion — mercy is power-based: you spare or forgive someone you could have punished (the judge showed mercy). pity is feeling sorry for someone weaker, sometimes faintly condescending. compassion is deep shared feeling that moves you to help. Only mercy implies you had the right to be harsh and chose not to be.