Chinese word

忍心

Pronunciation

Pinyinrěn xīn

Meaning

  • verbhave the heart to

Example

她为了孩子，竟然忍心离开了家。tā wèi le hái zi jìng rán rěn xīn lí kāi le jiā

For her child's sake, she actually had the heart to leave home.

Illustration for 忍心 (have the heart to)

More examples

你怎么能忍心伤害无辜的人？nǐ zěn me néng rěn xīn shāng hài wú gū de rén

How can you have the heart to hurt innocent people?

Core concept

A person restrains compassion long enough to do what feels necessary, even when it causes pain.

Common phrases

  • 忍心离开rěn xīn lí kāi

    have the heart to leave

  • 忍心放弃rěn xīn fàng qì

    have the heart to give up

  • 忍心伤害rěn xīn shāng hài

    have the heart to hurt

Similar words

下决心xià jué xīn: Firmly deciding to do something and then beginning it.
决心jué xīn: Firmly deciding to accomplish something.
抛弃pāo qì: Abandoning a person or thing after deciding it is no longer needed.
忍受rěn shòu: Continuing to bear pain or discomfort without giving in.

Definition in Chinese

压抑心中的怜悯，毅然做出可能伤害他人或自己的行为。yā yì xīn zhōng de lián mǐn yì rán zuò chū kě néng shāng hài tā rén huò zì jǐ de xíng wéi

Word origin

忍心 (rěnxīn, "to have the heart to") is formed from 忍 (rěn, "to endure or restrain") + 心 (xīn, "heart"), connecting the word with restraining pity in order to act.

Usage tips

  • In family talk, this word can mark a speaker's shock at separation or another painful choice, so it often carries more judgment than a neutral verb such as "decide".

Other meanings

  • cruellyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word