Background <p>While there is consistent evidence linking self-compassion to depression and anxiety, the specific pathways that connect them remain poorly understood. One potential pathway is the presence of meaning in life. The present study aimed to investigate whether presence of meaning in life, mediate the association between self-compassion and psychopathological symptoms (depression and anxiety) in a sample of adults across different age groups.</p> Methods <p>300 Hong Kong Chinese (age 18–70 years) were recruited by proportionate stratified sampling. Path analysis was utilized to examine the total effects, indirect effects (i.e., mediation), and direct effects outlined in the proposed hypotheses.</p> Results <p>In terms of depression, a mediation effect of presence of meaning in life was observed. Both the direct effects and the indirect effects were statistically significant (all p values &lt; 0.001). However, in terms of anxiety, the model showed significant direct effects of self-compassion on the anxiety symptoms, but no significant effect was found of the presence of meaning in life on the anxiety symptoms (<i>p</i> = 0.77) and, therefore, the indirect effects were not statistically significant.</p> Conclusion <p>Self-compassion was found to weaken the depressive symptoms in the current study. Our study further revealed that the sense of presence of meaning in life mediated the relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. Individuals who are self-compassionate are less susceptible to depressive symptoms as they experience a greater sense of presence of meaning in life. Self-compassion may facilitate the cultivation of positive emotions and the ability to bounce back from negative emotions, ultimately reducing the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms.</p>