任
Characters in this entry
- 任
- rèn · trust to, rely on, appoint; to bear, duty, office; allow
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · ren4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Sentences in context
Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 18 senses · 2 Cantonese readings
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
jam4 · jam6
Cantonese word readings for 任. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character
- to carry on a shoulder pole; to carry
- to bear; to endure; to put up with
- to take charge of; to assume the post of; to be in charge of
- to trust to; to rely on; to believe; to guarantee
- to appoint; to assign someone to a post
- to indulge; to be self-indulgent; to allow
- load; burden; luggage; baggage
- duty; responsibility; obligation
- tenure; term of office; incumbency
- office; post; position
- officeholder; postholder
- even if; even though
- no matter how; regardless of
- Classifier for terms of office.
character
- (historical) an ancient woman's rank of nobility
- (historical) an ancient music of the southern indigenous people
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 壬 (rén, “artful; fawning”)
- a surname
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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