宥

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

宀 (roof; house) — semantic component, suggests protection, shelter, or enclosure.

有 (to have) — phonetic component, supplies the sound "yu" and implies possession or allowance.

The structure conveys giving protection under a roof, metaphorically meaning granting pardon or sheltering someone from punishment.

宥 originally meant to pardon or forgive an offense, especially:

- mitigating punishment;

- granting mercy from authority.

It implied active leniency, not passive tolerance.

Meanings expanded within ethical and legal domains:

- judicial pardon — remission of penalty;

- moral leniency — forgiving faults;

- generous tolerance — broad-minded acceptance.

Thus, 宥 bridges legal mercy and personal generosity.

In Korean, 宥 appears primarily in formal, legal, or literary vocabulary.

It often occurs in compounds expressing institutional or moral clemency.

Forgiveness & pardon:

관용 (寬宥) — clemency; leniency

용서 (宥恕) — forgiveness

사면 (赦宥) — amnesty; pardon

Literary:

유죄불유 (有罪不宥) — “no pardon for the guilty” (legal phrase)

유과 (宥過) — to forgive faults

宥 implies protective leniency, metaphorically “bringing someone under shelter.” It emphasizes authority granting mercy, unlike:

赦 — amnesty by decree

恕 — forgiveness rooted in empathy

Related characters:

寬 — broad; lenient

慈 — compassionate

仁 — benevolence

Among these, 宥 most clearly denotes forgiveness as protective mercy granted by authority.

Classical / literary usage:

有罪可宥 — “Though guilty, he may be pardoned”

上寬下宥 — “Those above are tolerant, those below are forgiving”