rènrén

responsibility

Original meaning: 

to hold in arms

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
亻 meaning component

  Meaning component

rén

  

person

is a component form of .

壬 sound component

  Sound component

rén

  

(thread spool),9th heavenly stem

Evolution

任 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
任 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
任 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
任 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
任 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

rèn

trust to, rely on, appoint; to bear, duty, office; allow; to assign; to appoint; to take up a post; office; responsibility; to let; to allow; to give free rein to; no matter (how, what etc); classifier for terms served in office, or for spouses, girlfriends etc (as in 前任男友)

 

Rén

surname Ren; Ren County 任縣|任县[Rén​Xiàn] in Hebei

Most common words with 任
Freq.
Word
Meaning

任何

any

任务

mission

责任

blame

信任

to trust

to assign

Component uses

Meaning component in 3 characters (0 verified)

Sound component in 2 characters (0 verified)