包容 (bāo róng) — to tolerate, to forgive, to be tolerant of; to contain, to hold (literally or figuratively)

Definition

包容 covers both senses: 'to tolerate' (people, views, mistakes) and 'to contain/hold' (literally or figuratively). For 'forgive', it focuses on accepting flaws broadly, unlike 原谅 which targets a specific offense.

verb
to tolerateto forgiveto be tolerant ofto containto hold (literally or figuratively)

Examples

  • 包容。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi bāo róng bù tóng de guān diǎn.
    We should tolerate different viewpoints.
  • 包容。
    Zhè ge cāng kù néng bāo róng wǔ bǎi dūn huò wù.
    This warehouse can hold 500 tons of goods.
  • 包容。
    Lǐng dǎo yào yǒu bāo róng xià shǔ fàn cuò de xiōng huái.
    Leaders should have the magnanimity to tolerate subordinates' mistakes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

包bāocontain
容róngcontain; tolerate

包 means contain, and 容 also means contain or tolerate, so together they mean to be inclusive or forgiving.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng容róng
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.

Open 容 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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