What's the real distinction between compassion and empathy?

Question

What's the real distinction between compassion and empathy?

Answer 1

Compassion is an act, empathy is the motive.

Answer 2

With my poor English, I will try to say that compassion is when we feel sad and sorry about something or someone and try to sooth the pain.   While in empathy, we get more into the feeling, we make it our own and see how we can deal with it as if it was us who had the problem.  Empathy is more "personal".

Answer 3

Compassion is when you care about what the other person is going through, though you have not personally experienced what they are going through.

Empathy is when you can fully understand what the other person is feeling/thinking, because you've had it happen to you. (Been there, done that).

Answer 4

I think that compassion...is hopefully what most people feel, the desire to help others who are less fortunate or who are hurting. Empathy is...actually being able to feel the emotional and sometimes physical pain of others by being in tune to another person's soul.

Answer 5

...compassion inspires action to help while empathy relates from the sidelines