执 (zhí) — to hold (in one's hand) — formal/literary; to persist in; to stick to; to carry out; to implement
Definition
执 (zhí) is a formal/written verb with two main senses: 'to hold' (often a tool, as in 执笔 'hold a pen') and 'to persist in / carry out' (as in 执着, 执行). It is more literary than everyday words like 拿 (hold) or 坚持 (persist).
verb
to hold (in one's hand) — formal/literaryto persist into stick toto carry outto implement
Examples
- ，。Tā zhí yì yào zǒu, wǒ men lán bú zhù tā.He insisted on leaving; we couldn't stop him.
- 。Wǒ men jiāng zhí xíng zhè ge jì huà.We will implement this plan.
- 。Tā shǒu zhōng zhí bǐ xiě zì.He held a pen in his hand and wrote.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo 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.
Appears in
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