刃

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edge of blade

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A knife 刀 sharp enough to draw blood 丶

Components 刀丶

blade · Heisig RSH #84

dagger + a drop of

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
兵不血刃	bīng bù xuè rèn	lit. no blood on the men's swords (idiom); fig. an effortless victory
游刃有余	yóu rèn yǒu yú	handling a butcher's cleaver with ease (idiom); to do sth skillfully and easily
白刃战	bái rèn zhàn	hand-to-hand fighting
两面刃	liǎng miàn rèn	double-edged sword
迎刃而解	yíng rèn ér jiě	lit. (bamboo) splits when it meets the knife's edge (idiom); fig. easily solved
白刃	bái rèn	naked sword
手刃	shǒu rèn	to kill with one's own hand
利刃	lì rèn	sharp blade
开刃	kāi rèn	to edge a knife, scissor, sword etc
双刃剑	shuāng rèn jiàn	double-edged sword (lit. and fig.)
血刃	xuè rèn	bloodshed
双刃	shuāng rèn	double-edged blade
兵刃	bīng rèn	(bladed) weapons
刀刃	dāo rèn	knife blade; crucial point
卷刃	juǎn rèn	curved blade
刃具	rèn jù	cutting tool

These characters use 刃 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
刃 sound part	rèn	edged tool, cutlery, knife edge
韧	rèn	tough, strong; pliable
仞	rèn	ancient unit of measure (about 8 feet); a fathom
轫	rèn	brake