耐烦 (nàifán) is a verb meaning 'to tolerate annoyance' or 'to have patience,' especially when dealing with something tedious, repetitive, or irritating. The character 耐 (nài) means 'to endure' or 'to withstand,' while 烦 (fán) means 'annoyance,' 'irritation,' or 'trouble.' Together, they express the mental stamina required to remain calm and persistent despite frustration. It often implies active self-restraint—not just passive endurance, but conscious effort to stay composed.

This word is commonly used in contexts involving caregiving, teaching, customer service, or learning new skills—situations where repeated effort meets resistance or boredom. It carries a slightly literary or mature register and is more frequent in spoken Mandarin than in formal writing. Note that it’s almost always used in the negative form (不耐烦) to describe impatience, but the positive form 耐烦 does appear, especially in descriptive or reflective statements about someone’s temperament or capacity for patience.