耐

nài
verb HSK 7-9 #7,044

Meanings

  1. 1 to endure; to bear
  2. 2 to be resistant to

Examples

HSK 4
Qǐng nǐ nàixīn děng yíxià.
Please wait patiently.
HSK 4
Zhèzhǒng cáiliào hěn nàiyòng.
This material is very durable.

Tips

usage
耐心 (patience), 耐用 (durable), and 忍耐 (to endure) are key compounds.

Components

radical
而 ér
and; beard (original)
Left indexing radical 而 - originally a pictograph of a hanging beard, now mostly used as the conjunction 'and'. Here it preserves the beard image: ancient punishment 耐 was the shaving of the beard, a milder humiliation than other corporal punishments - bearing it required endurance, hence 'to endure, withstand'.
semantic
寸 cùn
inch; rule; measure
Right-side 寸 (a hand with a marker just below the wrist - the pulse point). Carries the 'rule, measured action' nuance: a regulated hand applying a measured penalty. Same semantic in 守 (guard, by hand). Together with 而 it sketches the legal scene of beard-shaving as a calibrated punishment.

Stroke Order

耐 nài