任意

rènyì

adjective HSK 7 #8,099

Meanings

1 arbitrary
2 at will
3 any
4 random

Characters

allow; as one pleases

wish; intention

Literally 'as one wishes' — at will, arbitrary

Examples

你可以任意选择一个。

Nǐ kěyǐ rènyì xuǎnzé yī gè.

You can choose any one you like.

不能任意破坏公共财物。

Bù néng rènyì pòhuài gōnggòng cáiwù.

You cannot arbitrarily destroy public property.

请从下列选项中任意选一个。

Qǐng cóng xiàliè xuǎnxiàng zhōng rènyì xuǎn yī gè.

Please choose any one from the options below.

Tips

usage

任意 can be neutral ('any' in 任意选择) or negative ('arbitrarily' in 任意破坏). Context determines the tone. Compare with 随意 (suíyì), which is more casual and less formal.

Stroke Order

任 rèn

意 yì