One very important concept captured by a Chinese character is “ren” or 忍。
This is a very interesting character: it carries the concept of a knife or 刀 held over the heart or 心。Naturally, having a knife held over your heart would be a very uncomfortable situation to say the least. But the character “ren” means “to hold inside without showing any visible sign of reaction”.
That is, when put in a difficult and uncomfortable position, the Chinese say that the proper reaction is not to show fright, or to become violent, or to lash out, but to show no reaction.
Hold it inside. Think. Then the person should wait for the right time to react.
Have you heard of a better definition for revenge?
Or, the person can hold it inside, and never show a visible reaction. Ever.
According to Confucian teaching, the ability to withstand bad situations and humiliation without showing any visible reaction are a mark of a cultured and educated person. Those who lash out quickly in anger are regarded as uneducated and uncultured.
In Japanese, the same character is pronounced “nin” and is well-known among westerners for the term “ninja” 忍者， which means “those who hold inside” (and wait for the right opportunity to strike).