How to Write 忍 (rěn) — Meaning “to endure; to tolerate”

Picture a blade (刃) pressing down on your heart (心) — you have to be patient and endure the pain. Imagine a knife on your heart, forcing you to 'tolerate' the discomfort without reacting.

Write the top part 刃 first: a horizontal stroke, then left-falling stroke, then a dot for the blade edge. Below, write 心 as three dots and a hook, with the middle dot slightly higher. A common mistake is making the 心 too wide or forgetting the dot on the blade.

忍 (rěn) has a blade (刃) on top and heart (心) below, meaning 'to endure'. 必 (bì) is a completely different shape — it looks like a dart or arrow and means 'must', not endurance. 忌 (jì) also has a heart radical, but with 己 (self) above, meaning 'to avoid' or 'to be jealous', so it focuses on prohibition, not tolerance.

忍 is used in common phrases like 忍不住 (rěn bú zhù, 'cannot help') and 忍受 (rěn shòu, 'to bear'). In Chinese culture, 忍 is a key virtue — the idea that enduring hardship or anger leads to harmony and long-term success, often seen in sayings like '忍一时风平浪静' (endure for a moment, and the wind calms down).

Common words containing 忍 include: 忍不住 (rěn bú zhù) — cannot help; unable to bear; 忍受 (rěn shòu) — to endure; to bear; 容忍 (róng rěn) — To tolerate.