忍 meaning and stroke order
To bear; to endure; to tolerate
How to write 忍, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 忍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to bear
- to endure
- to tolerate
- to restrain oneself
How 忍 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A knife 刃 piercing the heart 心; 刃 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 忍
忍 (rěn) is a blade 刃 (rèn) sitting on top of the heart 心 (xīn). Picture holding still while a knife presses on your heart: that is enduring something painful without reacting.
忍 is mostly used in compounds like 忍受 (rěnshòu, to endure) and 忍耐 (rěnnài, to be patient). It also appears on its own, often as advice to hold back. Example: 我忍不住笑了。 (Wǒ rěn bu zhù xiào le.) I couldn't help laughing.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 刀 (dāo) and forget the extra dot that makes it 刃 (rèn), the blade edge. Also note the tones: 忍 is third tone rěn, while its sound component 刃 is fourth tone rèn.
Common words with 忍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 忍受 | rěnshòu | to bear; to endure | HSK 5 |
| 忍不住 | rěn bu zhù | cannot help; unable to bear | HSK 5 |
| 残忍 | cánrěn | cruel; merciless; ruthless | HSK 7-9 |
| 忍耐 | rěnnài | to endure; to put up with; to exercise patience | HSK 7-9 |
| 容忍 | róngrěn | to put up with; to tolerate | HSK 7-9 |
| 忍心 | rěnxīn | to have the heart to do sth; to steel oneself to a task | HSK 7-9 |
| 忍饥挨饿 | rěnjī-ái'è | starving; famished | HSK 7-9 |
| 忍者 | rěnzhě | ninja | |
| 不忍心 | bùrěnxīn | can't bear to (do sth emotionally painful) | |
| 难以忍受 | nányǐrěnshòu | hard to endure; unbearable | |
| 忍无可忍 | rěnwúkěrěn | more than one can bear (idiom); at the end of one's patience; the last straw | |
| 不忍 | bùrěn | cannot bear to | |
| 惨不忍睹 | cǎnbùrěndǔ | lit. so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom); fig. miserable; horrendous; atrocio | |
| 忍气吞声 | rěnqìtūnshēng | to submit to humiliation (idiom); to suffer in silence; to swallow one's anger |
忍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 忍
Learning 忍 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 忍
How many strokes are in 忍?
忍 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 忍 mean?
忍 (rěn) means to bear; to endure; to tolerate. A common word with it is 忍受 (rěnshòu), meaning "to bear; to endure".
How do you pronounce 忍?
忍 is pronounced rěn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 忍?
The radical of 忍 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 忍 under this radical.
Is 忍 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 忍 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 忍受 and 忍耐?
忍受 (rěnshòu) focuses on bearing something unpleasant, like pain or noise, and usually takes an object. 忍耐 (rěnnài) stresses patience and self-restraint over time, and is often used without an object.
Why does 残忍 mean cruel if 忍 means to endure?
Here 忍 carries the sense of 忍心 (rěnxīn), having the heart to do something harsh. A person who is 残忍 (cánrěn) can bear to hurt others without feeling bad, so the word means cruel or ruthless.