(róng) — to contain; to hold; to accommodate; to tolerate; to forgive; to allow

Definition

容 (róng) is a more formal, written alternative to 容纳 ('to contain / hold') and 容忍 ('to tolerate'). It commonly appears in set phrases like 容忍 and 容纳, where it functions as the bound verb element rather than standing alone.

verb
to containto holdto accommodateto tolerateto forgiveto allow

Examples

  • Zhè ge fáng jiān néng róng xià shí gè rén.
    This room can hold ten people.
  • Tā bù néng róng rén, suǒ yǐ péng you hěn shǎo.
    He cannot tolerate others, so he has very few friends.
  • Zuò rén yào néng róng dé xià bié rén de quē diǎn.
    As a person, one must be able to tolerate others' shortcomings.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
gōngróng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 容, the 宀 (roof) part points to holding or containing, and 公 gives the sound.

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