When you are learning Chinese, you will need 耐心 (nàixīn), or patience! This word can be used as a noun meaning "patience" or an adjective meaning "patient."
For example, if you want to say, "Learning Chinese requires patience," you could say, "学习中文需要耐心 (Xuéxí Zhōngwén xūyào nàixīn)." Or, if you want to describe someone as patient, you could say, "他很耐心 (Tā hěn nàixīn)" which means "He is very patient."
When talking about someone's character, we can say someone 有耐心 (yǒu nàixīn), meaning they are patient. For example, 你这个人很有耐心 (nǐ zhège rén hěn yǒu nàixīn), means “You are a very patient person.”
It's very common to use 耐心 with the verb 等待 (děngdài), which means “to wait.” So, 耐心等待 means “to wait patiently.” For instance, 请你耐心等待 (qǐng nǐ nàixīn děngdài) means “Please wait patiently.”
耐心 can also be used as a noun. For example, 这需要耐心 (zhè xūyào nàixīn), which means “This requires patience.” Or, 我们需要耐心 (wǒmen xūyào nàixīn), meaning “We need patience.”
Lastly, we often combine 耐心 with 学习 (xuéxí), which means “to learn.” So, 耐心学习 means “to learn patiently.” This is a great way to describe how to approach learning Chinese!
When we talk about "patience" in Chinese, we use the word 耐心 (nài xīn). It's a noun, but it can also describe someone as being patient.
For example, if you want to say someone is a patient person, you can say 他很有耐心 (tā hěn yǒu nài xīn), which means "He has a lot of patience" or "He is very patient." You can also use it to encourage someone to be patient, like 请你耐心等待 (qǐng nǐ nài xīn děng dài), meaning "Please wait patiently."
Difficulty Rating
short and simple characters
simple strokes
common pronunciation
clear and distinct tones
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Grammar to Know
When using '耐心' as a noun, it typically appears after verbs like '有' (to have) or '需要' (to need) to express possession or requirement of patience.
他很有耐心。 (He has a lot of patience.)
To use '耐心' as an adjective meaning 'patient', it often modifies a noun or is used after verbs like '很' (very) or '有' (to be) as a predicate.
她是一个很有耐心的老师。 (She is a very patient teacher.)
'耐心' can be used with '地' (de) to form an adverbial phrase, describing how an action is performed patiently.
请你耐心地等待。 (Please wait patiently.)
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
他很有耐心教我。
He is very patient teaching me.
我没有耐心听他说。
I have no patience to listen to him speak.
请保持耐心。
Please maintain patience.
学习中文需要耐心。
Learning Chinese requires patience.
他失去了耐心。
He lost his patience.
我们需要培养耐心。
We need to cultivate patience.
老师对学生很有耐心。
The teacher is very patient with students.
请你有点耐心。
Please have a little patience.
他总是有足够的耐心。
He always has enough patience.
她的耐心让我很感动。
Her patience moved me deeply.
How to Use It
耐心 (nài xīn) as a Noun:
As a noun, 耐心 means 'patience'. You can use it in sentences like: 你们要有耐心。(Nǐmen yào yǒu nài xīn.) - You all need to have patience.
耐心 (nài xīn) as an Adjective:
It can also be used as an adjective meaning 'patient'. For example: 他是一个很有耐心的人。(Tā shì yīgè hěn yǒu nài xīn de rén.) - He is a very patient person. You'll often see it used with 很有 (hěn yǒu - very much has) when describing someone as patient.
Mistake 1: Using 耐心 directly as a verb 'to be patient'.
You cannot say 我耐心 (Wǒ nài xīn) to mean 'I am patient'. Instead, you should say 我很有耐心 (Wǒ hěn yǒu nài xīn - I am very patient) or 我需要耐心 (Wǒ xūyào nài xīn - I need patience).
Mistake 2: Confusing 'patience' with 'wait'.
While patience often involves waiting, 耐心 specifically refers to the quality of being able to wait calmly, not the act of waiting itself. For the act of waiting, use 等待 (děng dài) or simply 等 (děng).
Test Yourself 36 questions
Write a short sentence about why patience is important when learning Chinese.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
学习汉语需要耐心。
Imagine you are waiting for a bus. Write a simple sentence using '耐心' to describe your feeling.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
我需要耐心等车。
Your friend is feeling frustrated while studying. Write a short sentence to encourage them to have patience.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
朋友，请有耐心。
她为什么学不好中文？
Read this passage:
学中文需要耐心。她没有耐心，所以她学不好中文。
她为什么学不好中文？
文章中明确提到“她没有耐心，所以她学不好中文。”
文章中明确提到“她没有耐心，所以她学不好中文。”
小狗在做什么？
Read this passage:
小狗很有耐心，它一直等着主人回家。主人回家后，小狗很高兴。
小狗在做什么？
文章中说“它一直等着主人回家。”
文章中说“它一直等着主人回家。”
如果你有耐心，学新语言会怎么样？
Read this passage:
学习新的语言需要很多耐心。如果你有耐心，你会学得很好。
如果你有耐心，学新语言会怎么样？
文章中提到“如果你有耐心，你会学得很好。”
文章中提到“如果你有耐心，你会学得很好。”
学中文需要很多___。(Learning Chinese requires a lot of patience.)
The sentence is about the quality needed to learn Chinese, and 'patience' fits best.
他很有___，总是帮助我们解决问题。(He is very patient, always helping us solve problems.)
The sentence describes someone who is always helping others, indicating a quality like patience.
请你多一点___，他会理解的。(Please have a little more patience, he will understand.)
Asking someone to have more of a quality to help someone else understand points to patience.
老师对学生很有___，一遍又一遍地解释。(The teacher is very patient with students, explaining again and again.)
Explaining something repeatedly shows a teacher's patience.
做饭需要___，不能着急。(Cooking requires patience, can't be rushed.)
The phrase '不能着急' (can't be rushed) indicates that 'patience' is the required quality for cooking.
孩子生病了，妈妈很有___地照顾他。(The child is sick, mom patiently takes care of him.)
Taking care of a sick child often requires patience from the caregiver.
Which sentence correctly uses “耐心” to mean “patience”?
“他有耐心” means “He has patience.” The other options use different nouns.
Choose the best translation for “她很耐心。”
“耐心” can also be used as an adjective meaning “patient.”
Which of the following describes a situation where you need “耐心”?
Waiting for a friend often requires patience.
“耐心” means “impatient.”
“耐心” means “patience” or “patient.”
If someone is “很有耐心,” it means they are very patient.
“很有耐心” is a common way to say someone is very patient.
You can use “耐心” to describe a fast person.
“耐心” relates to patience, not speed.
What do you need to learn?
What should you do while waiting?
What quality does 'he' possess?
Read this aloud:
学习汉语需要耐心。
Focus: nài xīn
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
老师很有耐心教学生。
Focus: lǎo shī
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
我需要更多耐心。
Focus: gèng duō
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
To say 'Learning Chinese requires a lot of patience,' we arrange the words in this order.
This sentence means 'She is very patient with children.'
The correct order to say 'He doesn't have the patience to finish the work' is as above.
This sentence describes someone who is always patient when listening to others speak. The structure '有耐心' means 'to have patience' or 'to be patient'.
This sentence means 'Cultivating patience is a long-term process.' '培养' means to cultivate or foster, and '长期过程' means a long-term process.
This sentence translates to 'Dealing with children requires more patience and understanding.' '对待' means to treat or deal with, and '理解' means understanding.
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
Example
学习一门新语言需要耐心。
Related Content
This Word in Other Languages
More emotions words
有点
A1A little; somewhat; rather.
一点
A1A little; a bit; slightly.
可恶
A2Hateful; detestable; abominable.
心不在焉
A2Absent-minded; preoccupied.
接受地
A2Acceptingly; receptively.
成就感
B1Sense of achievement; fulfillment.
撒娇
A2To act like a spoiled child; to act cute.
上瘾
B1To be addicted to something.
沉迷
A2To be addicted to; to be engrossed in.
敬佩
B1Admiration; respect; reverence.
