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能耐 (néng nai) — (noun) ability, capability; (adjective) capable, skilled

Definition

Informal/colloquial word for 'ability, capability' — same meaning as 能力 but more casual and everyday, often used for people. As an adjective, 形容人 "capable, skilled," close to 能干.

noun
abilitycapability
adjective
capableskilled

Examples

  • 能耐，。
    Tā hěn yǒu néng nai, yí dìng néng wán chéng zhè ge rèn wu.
    He has great ability; he can definitely complete this task.
  • ，。
    Bié kàn tā nián qīng, tā kě néng nai le.
    Don't judge by his youth — he's really capable.
  • 能耐。
    Tā de néng nai ràng wǒ fēi cháng pèi fú.
    His ability makes me very impressed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

能néngability
耐nàiendurance

The idea pairs 能, meaning ability, with 耐, meaning endurance, to describe skill or capacity.

Characters in this word

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →

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
寸寸cùn
Sound part声符shēngfú
而
而ér耐nài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耐 puts 而 on the left and 寸 on the right: 而 gives the sound, and 寸 gives the sense.

Open 耐 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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