Meaning of 坚持
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to persevere with
- to persist in
- to insist on
How to use 坚持
坚持 is used for keeping up a habit or effort over time, and also for insisting on an opinion or demand. It is often followed by a verb phrase or noun. Example: 他每天坚持跑步。(Tā měitiān jiānchí pǎobù.) He keeps up running every day.
坚 (jiān) means firm or hard, and 持 (chí) means to hold, with the hand radical 扌 on the left. Picture holding on to something with a firm grip and refusing to let go.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 坚持 with 保持 (bǎochí). 坚持 means to persist through effort or resistance, while 保持 means to maintain a state, so say 保持安静 (keep quiet), not 坚持安静. Also remember that 持 has the hand radical 扌, not 氵 or 彳.
坚持 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
坚 jiān · hard · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
持 chí · to hold · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 坚持.
| 保持 | bǎochí | to keep; to maintain |
| 支持 | zhīchí | to be in favor of; to support |
| 持续 | chíxù | to continue; to last; to persist |
| 坚强 | jiānqiáng | staunch; strong |
| 主持 | zhǔchí | to take charge of; to manage or direct |
| 坚决 | jiānjué | firm; resolute; determined |
| 维持 | wéichí | to keep; to maintain; to preserve |
| 坚固 | jiāngù | firm; firmly |
| 坚定 | jiāndìng | firm; steady |
| 持有 | chíyǒu | to hold (passport, views etc) |
| 主持人 | zhǔchírén | host; master of ceremonies; (TV or radio) presenter; anchor; (Tw) (research project) princ |
| 坚信 | jiānxìn | to believe firmly; without any doubt |
Questions about 坚持
What does 坚持 mean?
坚持 (jiānchí) means "to persevere with; to persist in" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 坚持?
坚持 is made of 2 characters: 坚 (7 strokes), 持 (9 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 坚持 an HSK word?
Yes. 坚持 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 坚持 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 坚持 is written 堅持.
Can 坚持 be used as encouragement, like keep going?
Yes. People often say 坚持一下 (jiānchí yīxià) or 坚持住 (jiānchí zhù) to mean hang in there or hold on a bit longer. You will hear 坚持就是胜利 (persistence is victory) as a common saying.
How do I say someone insists on doing something with 坚持?
Put the action right after 坚持, as in 她坚持要自己付钱 (tā jiānchí yào zìjǐ fù qián), she insisted on paying herself. Adding 要 is common when the meaning is insisting rather than persevering.