恕 shù to excuse
to excuse; to forgive; to show mercy
How to remember 恕: 如 as + 心 heart = to excuse. As sweet as a little angel, the boy says sorry for the broken vase, and his mother's heart is ready to excuse him.
Component breakdown
恕 = 如 as + 心 heart
- 如 as
- 女 woman
- 口 mouth
- 心 heart
As sweet as a little angel, the boy says sorry for the broken vase, and his mother's heart is ready to excuse him.
How it is used
- To forgive/excuse: 宽恕 (kuānshù) to pardon, 饶恕 (ráoshù) to spare/forgive.
- 恕 as a polite self-effacing prefix: 恕不奉陪 (shù bú fèngpéi) forgive me for not keeping you company, 恕我直言 (shù wǒ zhíyán) pardon my bluntness.
- This formulaic 恕... is very common in courteous speech.