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执意 (zhí yì) — determined to, insisting on

Definition

执意 is a formal adverb meaning 'insist on' or 'be determined to' — it describes stubborn insistence, stronger and more written than the everyday 坚持 ('persist / keep at').

adverb
determined toinsisting on

Examples

  • 执意。
    Tā zhí yì yào cān jiā zhè cì bǐ sài.
    He insisted on participating in this competition.
  • ，执意。
    Jǐn guǎn tiān qì bù hǎo, tā zhí yì chū mén le.
    Despite the bad weather, she was determined to go out.
  • 执意。
    Lǎo bǎn zhí yì tuī xíng zhè xiàng xīn zhèng cè.
    The boss insisted on implementing this new policy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

执zhíinsist
意yìintention

执 means to hold firmly, and 意 means intention, together they give the sense of insisting on one's intention.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 執; 执 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔criminal / handcuffs
  • 丮丮jǐhand

The traditional form 執 shows 㚔, a handcuffed criminal, with 丮, a hand, giving the idea of arrest. The simplified 执 is a later shorthand, so its current parts are not the original pieces.

Open 执 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Will & Intention

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