任 meaning in English

rèn

to assign; to appoint

HSK 3verbconjunction6 strokes

Meaning of 任

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

rèn

to assign
to appoint
to take up a post
office
responsibility
to let
to allow
to give free rein to

Rén

surname Ren

How to use 任

On its own, 任 often means to hold a post or to let something happen freely, but learners meet it most in compounds like 任何 (rènhé, any), 任务 (rènwu, task), and 责任 (zérèn, responsibility). Example: 他任经理三年了。(Tā rèn jīnglǐ sān nián le.) He has served as manager for three years.

任 has the person radical 亻 on the left and 壬 (rén) on the right, which also gives the sound. Picture a person 亻 taking on a load: someone who accepts a job or a responsibility.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 任 with 认 (rèn, to recognize) because they sound identical. 认识 means to know someone, while 任何 means any, so check the radical: 亻 for person in 任, 讠 for speech in 认.

任 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ不bú会huì对duì你nǐ做zuò任rèn何hé事shì。

I'm not going to do anything to you.

我wǒ没méi有yǒu告gào诉sù任rèn何hé人rén你nǐ做zuò了le什shén么me。

I didn't tell anyone what you did.

任rèn何hé时shí间jiān我wǒ都dōu可kě以yǐ。

Any time will suit me.

他tā们men告gào诉sù我wǒ，他tā们men没méi有yǒu做zuò任rèn何hé错cuò事shì。

They told me that they did nothing wrong.

我wǒ不bù需xū要yào任rèn何hé东dōng西xī。

I don't need anything.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

任 rèn · to assign · 6 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 任.

任何	rènhé	any; whatever; whichever
任务	rènwu	mission; assignment; task; duty; role
信任	xìnrèn	to trust; to have confidence in
责任	zérèn	responsibility; duty; liability
主任	zhǔrèn	director; head
担任	dānrèn	to hold a governmental office or post; to assume office of
前任	qiánrèn	predecessor; ex-
任命	rènmìng	to appoint; (job) appointment
胜任	shèngrèn	qualified; competent (professionally)
任意	rènyì	any; arbitrary
上任	shàngrèn	to take office; previous (incumbent)
任职	rènzhí	to hold a post; to take office

Questions about 任

What does 任 mean?

任 (rèn) means "to assign; to appoint" and is used as a verb and conjunction.

How do you write 任?

任 is made of 1 character: 任 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.

Is 任 an HSK word?

Yes. 任 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do I use 任何 in a sentence?

任何 goes before a noun and is often paired with 都 or 也 in the same sentence. For example, 任何人都可以参加。(Rènhé rén dōu kěyǐ cānjiā.) Anyone can join. In negative sentences it means not any: 我没有任何问题 (wǒ méiyǒu rènhé wèntí), I have no questions at all.

What is the difference between 担任 and 任?

Both can mean to hold a post, but 担任 (dānrèn) is the common, neutral verb in modern speech and writing, as in 担任主任 (to serve as director). Using 任 alone this way sounds more formal or written.