韧劲 (rèn jìn) — tenacity, resilience, stubborn persistence

Definition

A noun for 'tenacity' — the stubborn drive to keep going through setbacks. Often used with 一股 ('a streak of') or 有 ('have').

noun
tenacityresiliencestubborn persistence

Examples

  • 韧劲，。
    Tā kào zhe yì gǔ rèn jìn, zhōng yú wán chéng le zhè ge xiàng mù.
    Relying on his tenacity, he finally completed this project.
  • 韧劲，。
    Zuò kē yán xū yào rèn jìn, bù néng yù dào kùn nan jiù fàng qì.
    Doing scientific research requires resilience — you can't give up when you encounter difficulties.
  • ，韧劲。
    Tā suī rán shī bài le duō cì, dàn nà gǔ rèn jìn ràng tā jiān chí le xià lái.
    Although she failed many times, that tenacity kept her going.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

韧rèntough
劲jìnforce

韧劲 joins 韧 (tough) and 劲 (force) to mean persistent strength.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 韌; 韧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
韋韋wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
刃
刃rèn韌rèn
Same sound today

The traditional form 韌 combines 韋, a meaning part, with 刃, a sound part; the simplified 韧 is a later shorthand.

Open 韧 →

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 勁; 劲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng勁jìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勁 pairs 力, meaning strength, with 巠, which gives the sound; the simplified 劲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the original ones.

Open 劲 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.