#Meaning of Mitleid

5 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

gray thicket
#

From my understanding, in English, the concept of "pity" is seen as quite negative, meaning a kind of distanced sympathy, often coupled with contempt. The dictionary translates pity as "Mitleid" or "Erbarmen" in German, but translating Mitleid back into English brings up the word "compassion" too, which is a warmer and more welcoming attitude than "pity," so I'm wondering if pity and Mitleid are very different from one another. Not to mention "Erbarmen" translates back to both pity and mercy, which is a new concept to me.

What's the common vocabulary in German for different kinds of sympathy/compassion? Is there a more contempt-filled word like English has, or is combining sympathy and contempt a foreign concept to German speakers?

prisma cargo
#

Literally, "Mitleid" is comprised of "mit" ("with"/"together with") and "Leid" ("pain"), so "Mitleid" in its most literal sense means something like "feel with the pain of another person", for which "compassion" would be a common translation. "Mitleid mit jemandem haben" typically implies that you acknowledge their trouble or pain (even if just on a superficial level) and possibly want to help them out. I'd say nowadays "jemanden bemitleiden" is the more distanced version of that, but it still typically doesn't imply the sort of negative things often used with "pity" in English.

"Erbarmen" is often used for a stronger, more universal feeling, often used in religious contexts. If you ask for that, you ask for some form of selfless help and commitment.

gray thicket
#

That's cool! Thank you for explaining

fossil scroll
prisma cargo
#

I mostly agree; I‘d like to add this type of meaning would be better conveyed using stress on certain words. If you make it sound mocking or sarcastic, the intent should be clear. This, of course, doesn‘t work in writing.