任 rèn — to assign; to appoint; office; responsibility
老师给了我们一个任务。Lǎo shī gěi le wǒ men yí ge rèn wu.The teacher gave us a task.
Common words: 任何 (rèn hé)、任务 (rèn wu)、责任 (zé rèn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "responsibility"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "responsibility", including 任 (rèn), 推 (tuī), 责 (zé), 仔 (zǐ / zī / zǎi). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "responsibility" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 任 (rèn), 推 (tuī), 责 (zé), 仔 (zǐ / zī / zǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span rèn, tuī, zé, zǐ, zī, zǎi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 任 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 任 rènto assign; to appoint; office; responsibilityUseful words: 任何, 任务
- 推 tuīpush; refuse (responsibility); shoveUseful words: 推进, 推动
- 责 zéduty; responsibility; to reproach; to blameUseful words: 负责, 责任
- 仔 zǐ / zī / zǎiduty; responsibility; minutely; youngUseful words: 仔细, 牛仔裤
Common words for these 4 "responsibility" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 任 (rèn) — so "responsibility" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
任何rèn héany; whatever; whichever任务rèn wumission; assignment; task; duty责任zé rènresponsibility; duty; liability推进tuī jìnto impel; to carry forward; to push on; to advance推动tuī dòngto push (e.g. for acceptance of a plan); to promote; to give impetus to推广tuī guǎngto extend; to spread; to popularize; generalization负责fù zéto be responsible for; to be in charge of; to bear responsibility for; conscientious责任zé rènresponsibility; duty; liability负责人fù zé rénperson in charge仔细zǐ xìcareful; attentive; cautious; to be careful
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "responsibility".
推 tuī — push; refuse (responsibility); shove
请用力把门推开。Qǐng yòng lì bǎ mén tuī kāi.Please push the door open with force.
Common words: 推进 (tuī jìn)、推动 (tuī dòng)、推广 (tuī guǎng)
责 zé — duty; responsibility; to reproach; to blame
保护环境是大家的责任。Bǎo hù huán jìng shì dà jiā de zé rèn.Protecting the environment is everyone responsibility.
Common words: 负责 (fù zé)、责任 (zé rèn)、负责人 (fù zé rén)
仔 zǐ / zī / zǎi — duty; responsibility; minutely; young
做题的时候要仔细，别马虎。Zuò tí de shí hou yào zǐ xì, bié mǎ hu.When doing problems, be careful and do not be sloppy.
Common words: 仔细 (zǐ xì)、牛仔裤 (niú zǎi kù)、公仔 (gōng zǎi)
All 4 characters
Open 任、推、责 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.