容 (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
Easily confused
- 蓉rónglook-alikeshort name for Chengdu, used in place names and abbreviations
- 荣róngsound-alikeglory, honor (bound morpheme in 光荣, 荣幸, etc.)
- 溶rónglook-aliketo dissolve (in liquid)
- 绒róngsound-alike(bound morpheme) fine hair, down, fuzz
- 融róngsound-aliketo melt, to thaw
- 熔róngsound-aliketo smelt, to fuse (metal)
Examples
- 容。Zhè ge fáng jiān néng róng xià shí gè rén.This room can hold ten people.
- 容，。Tā bù néng róng rén, suǒ yǐ péng you hěn shǎo.He cannot tolerate others, so he has very few friends.
- 容。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xíngshēngMost 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.
Appears in
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