持 (chí) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

持

chí[chi2]Tone 2

to hold

HSK 3

Guru Deep Dive

English · to hold

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (扌) should be slightly narrower and compressed, leaving ample space for the right component (寺) so the character remains balanced and avoids looking top-heavy.

1. Meaning

to hold, grasp, or maintain

to supportto persevereto manage or administerto control

VerbNeutral#action#control#governance

Sample Usage

坚持就是胜利。
jiān chí jiù shì shèng lì.
Perseverance means victory.
持之以恒
chí zhī yǐ héng
To persevere with persistent effort (idiom).

2. Sound

/[t͡ʂʰi³⁵]/Tone: 35

持

chíchi2

´(35)

=chí

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: retroflex 'ch' sound similar to 'tr' in English or a curled 'ch'

AspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Both curled tongue AND explosive puff of air! Tissue MUST fly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near the hard palate

Final Rhyme

i (-i*)

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: ee sound as in 'see'

Note: Written as 'i (-i*)', pronounced as rounded 'i' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-i' (rr/zz).

Common Learner Trap: Do NOT pronounce '-i' as 'ee' after zh-! Keep your tongue in the consonant position and buzz 'rr/zz'.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a questioning English sentence (e.g., 'What?').

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'ch-' with the dental affricate 'c-' (ts) or alveolar 'q-'. Remember that 'ch' requires curling the tongue back slightly.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Move your hand upward from chest level to eye level, mirroring an elevator rising.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand radical (Hand action or physical manipulation)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (indicates an action performed with the hand)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 寺 (original sound: si / chi)

A hand (扌) reaches out to firmly grip a temple or official building (寺), representing holding, maintaining, or managing.

扌 Hand component indicating grasping
寺 Phonetic and structural component meaning Buddhist temple or court

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

10· Phonetic Root: 寺 (sì)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the hand radical (扌) to show physical action and 寺 (shì/sì) to provide the pronunciation, evolving to mean holding, supporting, and maintaining control.

Semantic Evolution: From physically holding an object with the hand to abstractly maintaining principles, holding views, and persevering through challenges.

The component 寺 originally referred to government offices in ancient China before later becoming associated with Buddhist temples.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

trì

Similar rising or level inflection depending on the Sino-Vietnamese tone classification.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ジ / Kun: もち.う

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

지

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a person using their **hand** (扌) to steady and **hold** up a grand **temple** (寺), **maintaining** its structure with absolute perseverance.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

待

dàito waitReplaces the left hand radical with the walking/step radical (彳).

诗

shīpoemReplaces the hand radical with the speech radical (讠).

特

tèspecialReplaces the hand radical with the cow/ox radical (牜).

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

待(dài)

待 uses the stepping radical (彳) for waiting/treating, whereas 持 uses the hand radical (扌) for holding.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们必须[___]学习，才能取得好成绩。

Clue: chí

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right side component 寺 with 土 or 士, leading to incorrect stroke order or proportions when writing.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 持 mean, and what is its pronunciation?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to hold' or 'to persevere' (chí)?

持chíto hold

Speed:

Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...

0 / 0