Word

耐人寻味 (nài rén xún wèi) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 7

Meaning of 耐人寻味

成语 chéng yǔ idiom

thought-provoking

这部电影的结局很耐人寻味。

zhè bù diàn yǐng de jié jú hěn nài rén xún wèi

The ending of this movie is very thought-provoking.

Word breakdown

耐 nài — able to withstand (scrutiny/examination)

1 耐心 nài xīn — patience HSK 4
- 耐 endurance, to bear, to withstand
- 心 heart, mind, mental state
Example

学习汉语需要很多耐心。

xué xí hàn yǔ xū yào hěn duō nài xīn

Learning Chinese requires a lot of patience.
2 不耐烦 bú nài fán — impatient HSK 6
- 不 not
- 耐 endure, tolerate
- 烦 annoyed, vexed
Example

她用不耐烦的语气回答问题。

tā yòng bú nài fán de yǔ qì huí dá wèn tí

She answered the question in an impatient tone.
3 忍耐 rěn nài — endure; be patient HSK 7
- 忍 endure; restrain
- 耐 patience; withstand
Example

学习需要忍耐和努力。

xué xí xū yào rěn nài hé nǔ lì

Learning requires patience and effort.
4 耐用 nài yòng — durable HSK 7
- 耐 endure, withstand
- 用 use
Example

这个包很耐用，用了五年还很新。

zhè ge bāo hěn nài yòng yòng le wǔ nián hái hěn xīn

This bag is very durable; it still looks new after five years of use.
5 能耐 néng nài — ability HSK 7
- 能 can, able, capable
- 耐 reinforces the sense of capability and capacity
Example

他很有能耐，什么都会做。

tā hěn yǒu néng nài shén me dōu huì zuò

He has great ability and can do anything.

人 rén — people (who examine it)

寻 xún — to seek/explore (deeper meaning)

1 寻找 xún zhǎo — to search for HSK 5
- 寻 to seek, to search actively
- 找 to look for, to find
Example

他正在寻找新工作。

tā zhèng zài xún zhǎo xīn gōng zuò

He is searching for a new job.
2 寻求 xún qiú — to seek HSK 6
- 寻 to search, to look for
- 求 to request, to pursue
Example

他正在寻求新的工作机会。

tā zhèng zài xún qiú xīn de gōng zuò jī huì

He is seeking new job opportunities.
3 寻常 xún cháng — ordinary HSK 7
- 寻 common, regular (from classical usage)
- 常 ordinary, normal, regular
Example

这不是寻常的事情。

zhè bú shì xún cháng de shì qing

This is not an ordinary matter.
4 寻觅 xún mì — to search for, to seek HSK 7
- 寻 to search, to seek
- 觅 to look for, to seek
Example

他在人群中寻觅着熟悉的面孔。

tā zài rén qún zhōng xún mì zhe shú xī de miàn kǒng

He was searching for familiar faces in the crowd.
5 搜寻 sōu xún — to search for HSK 7
- 搜 to search, to rummage
- 寻 to seek, to look for
Example

警察正在搜寻失踪的孩子。

jǐng chá zhèng zài sōu xún shī zōng de hái zi

The police are searching for the missing child.

味 wèi — meaning/flavor (to ponder)

Structure & writing

1 耐 nài — to endure; to withstand; to bear

耐 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

1.1 而 ér — conjunction linking verbs, adjectives, or clauses: ① connecting successive elements ② connecting complementary affirmative and negative elements ③ connecting contrasting elements (adversative) ④ connecting causally related elements

而 is a component in 3 characters

HSK 3

需 xū to need, to require

HSK 4

耐 nài to endure; to withstand; to bear

HSK 7

耍 shuǎ to play; to have fun

1.2 寸 cùn — cun, a unit of length (1/10 of a 尺, approx. 1/30 meter)

寸 is a component in 25 characters

HSK 1

对 duì to answer; to reply 得 dé to get; to obtain (opposite of 失) 时 shí time; a relatively long period of time during which matter continuously changes or develops

HSK 2