忍心
rěn xīn · HSK 7
to have the heart to do sth
🗡️❤️ 忍 = blade over 心 heart (endure) + 心 heart — steel your heart to bear it
忍心 literally stacks 忍 (endure, a knife 刃 set over the heart 心) on top of another 心 (heart). The compound names that hardened state: bearing a blade on your heart so you can go through with something painful or harsh.
忍 — blade 刃 (phonetic) + heart 心 (semantic)
忍 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 心 'heart' below gives the meaning, while 刃 'blade' above provides the sound. The image of a blade over the heart vividly suggests enduring pain or restraining oneself, hence the meanings 'endure, bear, be patient'.
心 — pictograph of a heart with chambers and aorta
心 is a pictograph showing a stylized heart, with strokes representing the organ's chambers and the aorta at the top. Originally meaning the physical heart, it broadened to cover mind, feelings, and intentions, since ancient Chinese thought located thinking and emotion in the heart.