The character 忍 depicts a blade (刃) over the heart (心), visually conveying the idea of enduring a sharp, painful pressure. The character 受 shows a hand (爪) passing something to another hand (又), representing the act of receiving or bearing. Combined, 忍受 creates a compound concept where the first part illustrates the internal state of forbearance, and the second part adds the dimension of actively accepting or bearing an external burden, together forming the complete idea of "to endure" or "to tolerate".