涵养 (hán yǎng) — self-restraint; the ability to remain calm, patient, and tolerant in any situation

Definition

Refers to the cultivated inner quality of staying calm and patient under pressure — a personal virtue, not a momentary mood. Often paired with 有 to describe someone's character (有涵养).

noun
self-restraintthe ability to remain calmpatientand tolerant in any situation

Examples

  • 涵养，。
    Tā hěn yǒu hán yǎng, cóng bú duì bié rén fā pí qi.
    He has great self-restraint and never loses his temper at others.
  • 涵养，。
    Yí gè rén yǒu méi yǒu hán yǎng, kàn tā duì xiǎo shì de tài dù jiù zhī dào le.
    Whether a person has self-restraint can be seen from their attitude toward small matters.
  • 涵养。
    Dú shū kě yǐ zēng jiā rén de hán yǎng.
    Reading can increase a person's self-restraint.

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.

涵háncontain
养yǎngcultivate

涵 (contain) and 养 (cultivate) describe inner nourishment and self-restraint.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
函
函hán涵hán
Same sound today

涵 is built from 氵, the water radical, plus 函, which gives the sound.

Open 涵 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 養; 养 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 養 uses 羊 as a sound part and 食 as a meaning part.

Open 养 →

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