HSK · Level 8
135 words
Chinese word
认
Pronunciation
Pinyinrèn
Meaning
- verbrecognize
Example
我认不出他的声音。wǒ rèn bù chū tā de shēng yīn
I can't recognize his voice.
More examples
很多老年人容易把陌生人认错。hěn duō lǎo nián rén róng yì bǎ mò shēng rén rèn cuò
Many older people easily misidentify strangers.
Core concept
A stored impression meets a present person, thing, or fact and marks it as familiar or accepted.
Common phrases
认出rèn chū
recognize
认错rèn cuò
misidentify
承认chéng rèn
admit
Similar words
认出rèn chū: Recognizing a person or thing seen or heard before.
识别shí bié: Judging a thing's type or genuineness from clues and features.
认识rèn shí: Being acquainted with a person through having met them.
辨认biàn rèn: Determining a person's or object's identity by checking fine details.
Definition in Chinese
在心里知道或记住某人或某事，表示对人或事有印象与认识；也可指通过感觉把看到的对象辨别出来。zài xīn lǐ zhī dào huò jì zhù mǒu rén huò mǒu shì biǎo shì duì rén huò shì yǒu yìn xiàng yǔ rèn shí yě kě zhǐ tōng guò gǎn jué bǎ kàn dào de duì xiàng biàn bié chū lái
Word origin
认 (rèn, "recognize") comes from traditional 認 (rèn, "recognize"), with 言 (yán, "speech") indicating acknowledgment and 忍 (rěn, "endure") mainly supplying the sound.
Usage tips
- A familiar feature can be enough for this verb: a face, voice, or name may trigger it even when the speaker has little further knowledge about the person.