韧 (rèn) · tough, pliable but strong, tenacious

Meanings

1 tough
2 pliable but strong, tenacious
3 resilient (of materials or character)

Characters

韧

rèn

tough, pliable

Examples

HSK 5

他性格很韧,从不轻易放弃。

Tā xìnggé hěn rèn, cóngbù qīngyì fàngqì.

He has a tenacious character - he never gives up easily.

HSK 7-9

这种皮革又韧又结实。

Zhè zhǒng pígé yòu rèn yòu jiēshi.

This kind of leather is both tough and durable.

Tips

memory

Think 'flexible-tough': a thin bamboo whip that bends without breaking is 韧. Common compounds: 坚韧 ('tough and resilient'), 韧性 ('toughness, tenacity'), 韧带 ('ligament'), 韧劲 ('staying power').

Components

radical

韦 wéi

soft leather

Left leather radical - simplified from 韦, originally a top-bottom view of two feet circling a guarded enclosure, later borrowed for 'soft, supple leather.' Indexes 韧 in the leather family with 韬 sheath, 韩 surname Han. 韧 means tough and pliable - exactly the quality of well-tanned hide.

phonetic

刃 rèn

blade edge

Right side 刃 supplies the sound rèn exactly, and adds a sharp semantic flavour: 刃 is the edge of a blade (a 刀 knife with a dot marking the cutting line). A material that takes the blade and bends without breaking is 韧 - tough leather that meets steel without splitting. A neat sound-and-sense pairing.