耐心
nàixīn · HSK 5
to be patient; patience
⏳ 耐 endure + 心 heart = enduring heart, i.e. patience
耐 means to bear or withstand; 心 is heart/mind. Together: a heart that withstands — patience, forbearance. The 而 in 耐 originally depicted a beard, linked to enduring shaving or hardship.
耐 — 而 (beard) + 寸 (hand/rule)
Originally depicted shaving off a beard (而) by hand (寸) as a minor punishment in ancient China. The sense shifted from 'enduring this shame' to the broader meaning 'to endure, bear, withstand.' Today 耐 commonly means patient or resistant, as in 耐心 (patience).
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.