责任
zé rèn · responsibility or duty
照顾孩子是我们的责任。
Taking care of the child is our responsibility.
Chinese character · HSK 3
任 (rèn) — “to appoint / responsibility”
The character combines 'person' (亻) and 'burden/office' (壬), symbolizing a person taking on an official duty, mandate, or responsibility.
Memory cue
A person respectfully accepts the red seal of official appointment and heavy responsibility.
Video mnemonic
Watch 任 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 任
This set shows 任 in its core senses of responsibility and appointment, then extends to tasks and the common word 任何, “any.”
任命
rèn mìng · to appoint
公司任命她为经理。
The company appointed her as manager.
担任
dān rèn · to serve as or hold a position
她担任我们的中文老师。
She serves as our Chinese teacher.
任务
rèn wu · a task or assignment
老师给了我们一个新任务。
The teacher gave us a new assignment.
任何
rèn hé · any or whatever
我没有任何问题。
I don't have any questions.
Usage note: Use 任何 before a noun, as in 任何问题, “any questions.” Do not interpret 任 here as “appoint.”
Inside the character
- 亻 (person) — meaning component. Often marks a person, human action, or body posture.
- 壬 — sound component.
Where 任 comes from
A phono-semantic compound where 亻 (person) provides the semantic context of human action, and 壬 (rén) provides the pronunciation while also historically implying a person carrying a heavy load or burden.
Learn 任 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6
character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences,
component breakdowns, etymology, and recall-first review. The first 100
characters are free.
More characters: 休 (xiū, to rest) · 伞 (sǎn, umbrella) · 供 (gòng / gōng, to offer / to provide) — or browse the full character library.