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韧性 (rèn xìng) — toughness (of materials, e.g., metal, ceramic); resilience (of character, economy, etc.)

Definition

韧性 combines physical toughness (of materials, not breaking) with resilience (of character or economy). Compared to 弹性 (elasticity — bouncing back to original shape), 韧性 is more about enduring stress without breaking, physically or figuratively.

noun
toughness (of materials, e.g., metal, ceramic)resilience (of character, economy, etc.)

Examples

  • 韧性，。
    Zhè zhǒng táo cí de rèn xìng fēi cháng gāo, bù róng yì suì.
    The toughness of this ceramic is very high; it's not easy to break.
  • 韧性。
    Tā zài chuàng yè guò chéng zhōng zhǎn xiàn le jīng rén de rèn xìng.
    She showed amazing resilience during the process of starting her business.
  • 韧性。
    Jīng jì rèn xìng shì yìng duì wēi jī de guān jiàn.
    Economic resilience is key to dealing with crises.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

韧rèntough
性xìngquality

韧 'tough' combines with 性 to express the quality of toughness.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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