Meaning of 忍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to bear
- to endure
- to tolerate
- to restrain oneself
How to use 忍
忍 is often used alone as a verb meaning to hold back or put up with something, and it appears in many common words like 忍受 (rěnshòu) and 忍耐 (rěnnài). 忍不住 (rěn bu zhù) is very common for not being able to stop yourself. Example: 我忍不住笑了。(Wǒ rěn bu zhù xiào le.) I couldn't help laughing.
忍 (rěn) is a blade 刃 (rèn) sitting on top of a heart 心 (xīn). Picture holding a knife over your own heart and staying still: that is what it feels like to endure.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 忍 (rěn) with 认 (rèn, to recognize), which sounds almost the same but has a fourth tone. Also check the top part: it is 刃 with an extra dot, not 刀 (dāo).
忍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
忍 rěn · to bear · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 忍.
| 忍受 | rěnshòu | to bear; to endure |
| 忍不住 | rěn bu zhù | cannot help; unable to bear |
| 残忍 | cánrěn | cruel; merciless; ruthless |
| 忍耐 | rěnnài | to endure; to put up with; to exercise patience |
| 容忍 | róngrěn | to put up with; to tolerate |
| 忍心 | rěnxīn | to have the heart to do sth; to steel oneself to a task |
| 忍饥挨饿 | rěnjī-ái'è | starving; famished |
| 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 |
Questions about 忍
What does 忍 mean?
忍 (rěn) means "to bear; to endure" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 忍?
忍 is made of 1 character: 忍 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 忍 an HSK word?
Yes. 忍 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 忍受 and 忍耐?
忍受 (rěnshòu) focuses on bearing something unpleasant, like pain or bad treatment. 忍耐 (rěnnài) focuses more on patience and self-control over time.
Why does 残忍 mean cruel if 忍 means to endure?
In 残忍 (cánrěn), 忍 carries the sense of being able to bear doing something harsh to others without feeling bad. The same idea appears in 忍心 (rěnxīn), to have the heart to do something hard, which is often used in the negative 不忍心 (bù rěnxīn), not having the heart to.