容纳 (róng nà) — to hold, to contain, to accommodate (people or… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Spans two senses: physical capacity ('hold, contain') and accepting differing views. For tolerance of people/opinions, it is broader than 容忍 (which focuses on enduring) and more neutral than 包容 (which adds a warm, forgiving tone).

verb

to holdto containto accommodate (people or objects)to tolerateto accept (different opinions, dissent)

Examples

容纳。
Zhè liàng chē néng róng nà wǔ gè rén.
This car can hold five people.
容纳。
Wǒ men yīng gāi róng nà bù tóng de yì jiàn.
We should tolerate different opinions.
容纳。
Zhè ge tú shū guǎn kě yǐ róng nà shàng qiān běn shū.
This library can accommodate thousands of books.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

容 (hold) and 纳 (admit) together mean take in and hold.

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.

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.

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 納; 纳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk, thin thread

Sound part声符shēngfú

内

Same sound today

The traditional form 納 has 糸 (silk, thin thread) and 内, which gives the sound; the simplified 纳 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Abstract Concepts

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