忍

忍	U+5FCD, 忍 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5FCD

← 忌
[U+5FCC]

CJK Unified Ideographs

忎 →
[U+5FCE]

忍	U+2F89D, 忍 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F89D

← 徚
[U+2F89C]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement

志 →
[U+2F89E]

Translingual

Traditional	忍
Simplified	忍
Japanese	忍
Korean	忍

Han character

忍 (Kangxi radical 61, 心+3, 7 strokes, cangjie input 尸戈心 (SIP), four-corner 1733₂, composition ⿱刃心)

Derived characters

𠗋, 𠴍, 𡝖, 𢂻, 𢚴, 𢭝, 涊, 𭸑, 梕, 𤉃, 㸾, 䏰, 𥚆, 𥆾, 𫀷, 𪞹, 𪪄, 綛, 𦓖, 𦖆, 𬠍, 𧖷, 認, 躵, 𨧟, 𨲅, 𢠗, 𩈢, 𩊫, 𥊟, 𪐁
𫻉, 荵, 𭞂, 𩇻, 𤶝

References

KangXi: page 376, character 4
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10312
Dae Jaweon: page 702, character 12
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2271, character 3
Unihan data for U+5FCD
Unihan data for U+2F89D

Chinese

trad.		忍
simp. ^#		忍

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 忍
Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (刃) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
涊	nɯːnʔ, njɯnʔ
紉	*nɯn
忍	*njɯnʔ
荵	*njɯnʔ
刃	*njɯns
認	njɯns, njɯŋs
仞	*njɯns
軔	*njɯns
韌	*njɯns
肕	*njɯns
牣	*njɯns
杒	*njɯns
訒	*njɯns

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *njɯnʔ) : phonetic 刃 (OC *njɯns, “blade”) + semantic 心 (“heart”).

Etymology

to bear, to endure, to suffer: From Sino-Tibetan; cognate with Tibetan ཉན་པ (nyan pa, “to be able”) (Schuessler (2007))

cruel: From Sino-Tibetan; cognate with Tibetan གཉན་པ (gnyan pa, “cruel, fierce, severe”) (ibid.).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): rěn (ren³)
(Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁵, jan²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): ngiûn
Min Bei (KCR): něng
Min Dong (BUC): ṳ̄ng / nūng
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): lím / jím / lún
(Teochew, Peng'im): lung² / nung² / rim² / rêng² / ring²
Wu (Wiktionary): nyin (T3); zen (T3)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: rěn
  - Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: rěn
  - Wade–Giles: jên³
  - Yale: rěn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: reen
  - Palladius: жэнь (žɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən²¹⁴/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: jan⁵, jan²
  - Yale: yáhn, yán
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁵, jan²
  - Guangdong Romanization: yen⁵, yen²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn¹³/, /jɐn³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngiûn
  - Hakka Romanization System: ngiun´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ngiun¹
  - Sinological IPA: /ɲi̯un²⁴/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: něng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /neiŋ²¹/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: ṳ̄ng / nūng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /yŋ³³/, /nˡuŋ³³/

Note:

ṳ̄ng - literary;
nūng - vernacular.

Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lím
  - Tâi-lô: lím
  - Phofsit Daibuun: liem
  - IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /lim⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lim⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jím
  - Tâi-lô: jím
  - Phofsit Daibuun: jiem
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ʑim⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ʑim⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lún
  - Tâi-lô: lún
  - Phofsit Daibuun: luon
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lun⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /lun⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lun⁴¹/

Note:

lím/jím - literary;
lún - vernacular.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: lung² / nung² / rim² / rêng² / ring²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lúng / núng / jím / jéng / jíng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /luŋ⁵²/, /nuŋ⁵²/, /d͡zim⁵²/, /d͡zeŋ⁵²/, /d͡ziŋ⁵²/

Note:

lung2 - vernacular (Chaozhou);
nung2 - vernacular (Jieyang);
rim2 - literary (Chaozhou);
rêng2 - literary (Jieyang);
ring2 - literary (Chenghai, Chaoyang).

Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: nyin (T3); zen (T3)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /n̠ʲɪɲ²³/, /z̥əɲ²³/

Note:

3nyin - colloquial;
3zen - literary.

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 忍
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʐən²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/ʐən²¹³/
	Tianjin	/in¹³/ /ʐən¹³/
	Jinan	/ʐẽ⁵⁵/
	Qingdao	/iə̃⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/ʐən⁵³/
	Xi'an	/ʐẽ⁵³/
	Xining	/ʐə̃⁵³/
	Yinchuan	/ʐəŋ⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/ʐə̃n⁴⁴²/
	Ürümqi	/ʐɤŋ⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/nən⁴²/
	Chengdu	/zən⁵³/
	Guiyang	/zen⁴²/
	Kunming	/ʐə̃⁵³/
	Nanjing	/ʐən²¹²/
	Hefei	/ʐən²⁴/
Jin	Taiyuan	/zəŋ⁵³/
	Pingyao	/ʐəŋ⁵³/
	Hohhot	/ʐə̃ŋ⁵³/
Wu	Shanghai	/ȵiŋ²³/ /zəŋ²³/
	Suzhou	/zən³¹/
	Hangzhou	/zen¹³/
	Wenzhou	/ȵaŋ³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/niʌ̃³⁵/
Hui	Tunxi	/ȵin²⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/ʐən⁴¹/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/in⁴²/
Gan	Nanchang	/ȵɨn²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/ŋiun⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/jɐn³⁵/
	Nanning	/jɐn²⁴/
	Hong Kong	/jɐn³⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/lim⁵³/ /lun⁵³/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/yŋ³²/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/neiŋ²¹/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/zim⁵³/ /luŋ⁵³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/zin²¹³/ /zun²¹³/ /nun²¹³/

Middle Chinese: /ȵiɪn^X/

Rime
Character	忍
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	而軫切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ȵiɪn^X/
Pan Wuyun	/ȵin^X/
Shao Rongfen	/ȵʑjen^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ȵin^X/
Li Rong	/ȵiĕn^X/
Wang Li	/ȵʑĭĕn^X/
Bernard Karlgren	/ȵʑi̯ĕn^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	rěn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jan⁵

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*nə[n]ʔ/
(Zhengzhang): /*njɯnʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	忍	忍
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	rěn	rěn
Middle Chinese	‹ nyin^X ›	‹ nyin^X ›
Old Chinese	/*nə[n]ʔ/	/*nə[n]ʔ/
English	cruel	endure
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	忍
Reading #	1/1
No.	10828
Phonetic component	刃
Rime group	文
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	忍
Old Chinese	/*njɯnʔ/

Definitions

忍

to endure; to bear; to suffer
- 人皆有所不忍，達之於其所忍，仁也。人皆有所不為，達之於其所為，義也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  人皆有所不忍，达之于其所忍，仁也。人皆有所不为，达之于其所为，义也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Rén jiē yǒu suǒbùrěn, dá zhī yú qí suǒrěn, rén yě. Rén jiē yǒu suǒbùwéi, dá zhī yú qí suǒwéi, yì yě. [Pinyin]
  All men have some things which they cannot bear; extend that feeling to what they can bear, and humaneness will be the result. All men have some things which they will not do; extend that feeling to the things which they do, and righteousness will be the result.
to forbear
忍笑 ― rěn xiào ― to stifle a laugh
忍著眼淚／忍着眼泪 ― rěn zhe yǎnlèi ― to hold back tears
- 子曰：「巧言亂德，小不忍則亂大謀。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  子曰：“巧言乱德，小不忍则乱大谋。” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE
  Zǐyuē: “Qiǎoyán luàn dé, xiǎobùrěn zé luàn dàmóu.” [Pinyin]
  The Master said, "Crafty words confound virtue. Want of forbearance in small matters confounds great plans."
cruel, callous
- 維此良人、弗求弗迪。
  維彼忍心、是顧是復。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
  维此良人、弗求弗迪。
  维彼忍心、是顾是复。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Wéi cǐ liángrén, fúqiú fúdí.
  Wéi bǐ rěnxīn, shìgù shìfù. [Pinyin]
  Here is a good man, but he is not sought out nor employed.
  There is a cruel-hearted man, and he is thought of and promoted once and again.

Compounds

Derived terms from 忍

不忍 (bùrěn)
不忍下手
不忍人之心 (bù rěn rén zhī xīn)
不忍心
不忍言 (bùrěnyán)
含垢忍辱
含羞忍辱
容忍 (róngrěn)
弘忍
忍不住 (rěnbùzhù)
忍俊不禁 (rěnjùnbùjīn)
忍冬 (rěndōng)
忍受 (rěnshòu)
忍垢
忍垢偷生
忍心 (rěnxīn)
忍心害理
忍性
忍田
忍痛 (rěntòng)
忍石
忍者 (rěnzhě)
忍耐 (rěnnài)
忍辱 (rěnrǔ)
忍辱偷生 (rěnrǔtōushēng)

忍辱含垢
忍辱含羞
忍辱求全
忮忍
濡忍
猜忍
痛不堪忍
百忍
目不忍睹
能忍自安
落忍
不忍坐視／不忍坐视 (bùrěnzuòshì)
不忍釋手／不忍释手
動心忍性／动心忍性
包羞忍恥／包羞忍耻
吞聲忍氣／吞声忍气
吞聲忍讓／吞声忍让
含垢忍恥／含垢忍耻
含悲忍淚／含悲忍泪
堅忍／坚忍 (jiānrěn)
堅忍不拔／坚忍不拔
強忍／强忍 (qiǎngrěn)
忍尤含詬／忍尤含诟
忍恥偷生／忍耻偷生

忍恥含垢／忍耻含垢
忍恥含羞／忍耻含羞
忍氣吞聲／忍气吞声 (rěnqìtūnshēng)
忍無可忍／忍无可忍 (rěnwúkěrěn)
忍者龜／忍者龟
忍術／忍术 (rěnshù)
忍讓／忍让 (rěnràng)
忍辱負重／忍辱负重 (rěnrǔfùzhòng)
忍飢挨餓／忍饥挨饿
忍饑受渴／忍饥受渴
忍饑受餓／忍饥受饿
愛不忍釋／爱不忍释
慘不忍睹／惨不忍睹 (cǎnbùrěndǔ)
慘不忍聞／惨不忍闻
於心不忍／于心不忍
於心何忍／于心何忍
殘忍／残忍 (cánrěn)
氣忍聲吞／气忍声吞
目不忍視／目不忍视
相忍為國／相忍为国
聲吞氣忍／声吞气忍
隱忍／隐忍 (yǐnrěn)
難以忍受／难以忍受
難忍／难忍 (nánrěn)

Japanese

Shinjitai	忍
Kyūjitai [1]	忍󠄁 忍+`󠄁`^? (Adobe-Japan1)
	忍󠄄 忍+`󠄄`^? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

忍

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

patience, endurance, stamina.

Readings

Go-on: にん (nin, Jōyō)
Kan-on: じん (jin)
Kun: しのぶ (shinobu, 忍ぶ, Jōyō); しのばせる (shinobaseru, 忍ばせる, Jōyō)
Nanori: おし (oshi); しの (shino); しのぶ (shinobu); たう (tau); たふ (tafu)

Compounds

勘忍(かんにん) (kannin)
堅忍(けんにん) (kennin)
堅忍不抜(けんにんふばつ) (kenninfubatsu)
堪(た)え忍(しの)ぶ (taeshinobu)
堪忍(かんにん) (kannin)
堪忍袋(かんにんぶくろ) (kanninbukuro)
忍(しの)ばせる (shinobaseru)
忍(しの)びやか (shinobiyaka)
忍(しの)び入(い)る (shinobiiru)
忍(しの)び声(ごえ) (shinobigoe)
忍(しの)び寄(よ)る (shinobiyoru)
忍(しの)び泣(な)き (shinobinaki)
忍(しの)び泣(な)く (shinobinaku)
忍(しの)び笑(わら)い (shinobiwarai)
忍(しの)び足(あし) (shinobiashi)
忍(しの)び込(こ)む (shinobikomu)
忍(しの)び逢(あ)い (shinobiai)
忍(しの)び難(がた)い (shinobigatai)
忍(しの)び音(ね) (shinobine)
忍(しの)ぶ (shinobu)
忍従(にんじゅう) (ninjū)
忍法(にんぽう) (ninpō)
忍者(にんじゃ) (ninja)
忍耐(にんたい) (nintai)
忍耐力(にんたいりょく) (nintairyoku)
忍耐強(にんたいづよ)い (nintaizuyoi)
忍苦(にんく) (ninku)
忍術(にんじゅつ) (ninjutsu)
恋(こ)い忍(しの)ぶ (koishinobu)
押忍(おす) (osu), 押忍(おっす) (ossu)
残忍(ざんにん) (zannin)
耐(た)え忍(しの)ぶ (taeshinobu)
隠忍(いんにん) (innin)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
忍
しの(ぶ) Grade: S
kun’yomi

Proper noun

忍(しのぶ) • (Shinobu)

a unisex given name
a surname

References

“忍”, in 漢字ぺディア (Kanjipedia)‎ (in Japanese), 日本漢字能力検定協会, 2015—2023

Korean

Hanja

忍 (eumhun 참다 인 (chamda in))

Vietnamese

Han character

忍: Hán Nôm readings: nhẫn, nhịn, những, nhẩn, nhẵn

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

[1] “忍”, in 漢字ぺディア (Kanjipedia)‎ (in Japanese), 日本漢字能力検定協会, 2015—2023