How to Write 忞 (mín) — Meaning “To exert oneself”

Picture a scholar (文) with a strong heart (心) studying late at night — they are exerting themselves to learn. The pinyin "mín" sounds like "mean" as in "mean business," so remember this character means to work hard and be diligent.

Write the top 文 first: left-falling stroke, then horizontal, then a short left-falling crossing, and finally a right-falling stroke; keep it narrow. Then the bottom 心: left dot, a curved hook stroke, then a dot above the hook, and a final dot on the right. A common mistake is making the top 文 too wide or forgetting the dot above the hook of 心.

The top part differs: 忌 has 己 (self) meaning jealousy or avoidance, 忍 has 刃 (blade) meaning endurance under pain, while 忞 has 文 (culture) meaning striving through knowledge. Remember: 忞 is about positive effort, not negative feelings or suffering.

忞 is a rare, literary character not found in HSK. It appears in classical compounds like 忞忞 (min min, diligent) and 忞勉 (min mian, to strive). You might see it in formal writing or historical texts about self-cultivation, but it is not used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 忞 include: 忞忞 (mín mín) — Diligent; 忞勉 (mín miǎn) — To strive / to exert oneself; 忞志 (mín zhì) — To strengthen one's will.