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残忍 (cán rěn) — cruel, ruthless

Definition

Means 'cruel, ruthless,' focused on deliberate savagery toward people or living beings. Stronger than 无情 (heartless detachment) and wider than 凶残, which leans toward violent fierceness.

adjective
cruelruthless

Examples

  • 残忍。
    Tā shì yí gè hěn cán rěn de rén.
    He is a very cruel person.
  • 残忍。
    Tā men cán rěn dì duì dài dí rén.
    They treated their enemies cruelly.
  • 残忍。
    Lì shǐ shàng chōng mǎn le cán rěn de zhàn zhēng.
    History is full of cruel wars.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

残cáncruel
忍rěnhard-hearted

残 means cruel and 忍 means hard-hearted, together describing mercilessness.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殘; 残 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
歹歹dǎivicious, bones
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān殘cán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 殘 pairs 歹, a bone shape for injury, with 戔 for its sound; the simplified 残 is a later shorthand.

Open 残 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
刃
刃rèn忍rěn
Same sound today

忍 combines 心 (heart) and 刃 (blade). The 刃 part provides the sound, and the 心 part is the heart.

Open 忍 →
Appears in
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