Chinese word

不忍心

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù rěn xīn

Meaning

  • verbcan't bear to

Example

我不忍心把小猫扔掉。wǒ bù rěn xīn bǎ xiǎo māo rēng diào

I can't bear to throw the kitten away.

Illustration for 不忍心 (can't bear to)

More examples

看到老人摔倒，她不忍心走开，立刻上前扶他。kàn dào lǎo rén shuāi dǎo tā bù rěn xīn zǒu kāi lì kè shàng qián fú tā

When she saw the old man fall, she couldn't bear to walk away and immediately went over to help him.

Core concept

Pity turns a possible action into one the heart cannot bring itself to complete.

Common phrases

  • 不忍心把小猫扔掉bù rěn xīn bǎ xiǎo māo rēng diào

    can't bear to abandon the kitten

  • 不忍心看他受苦bù rěn xīn kàn tā shòu kǔ

    can't bear to see him suffer

  • 不忍心离开孩子bù rěn xīn lí kāi hái zi

    can't bear to leave the child behind

Similar words

心疼xīn téng: Feel distressed by someone's suffering and want to help.
同情tóng qíng: Understand someone's difficult situation and feel sorry for them.
舍不得shě bu de: Feel unable to part with a person or thing because losing it feels painful.
可怜kě lián: Feel sorry for someone who seems weak, helpless, or unfortunate.

Definition in Chinese

因同情或心软而不忍进行某个伤害性或放弃性的行为，表示在情感上不能下手或不愿意做某事。yīn tóng qíng huò xīn ruǎn ér bù rěn jìn xíng mǒu gè shāng hài xìng huò fàng qì xìng de xíng wéi biǎo shì zài qíng gǎn shàng bù néng xià shǒu huò bú yuàn yì zuò mǒu shì

Word origin

不忍心 (bùrěnxīn, "can't bear to") is formed from 不 (bù, "not") + 忍 (rěn, "bear") + 心 (xīn, "heart"), giving the idea that the heart cannot bear the action.

Usage tips

  • For English-speaking learners, the key usage point is that this verb focuses on the suffering caused by an action, not merely on the speaker's inconvenience or loss.

Other meanings

  • be reluctant toverb
  • feel distressedverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word