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死守 (sǐ shǒu) — to defend to the death; to fight to the last; to obstinately cling to; to rigidly adhere to (old ideas, methods, etc.)

Definition

A verb meaning to cling to something stubbornly — either literally (defend to the death) or figuratively (stubbornly stick to old ideas, methods, or rules). Implies a negative judgment: the thing being held onto is usually outdated or wrong.

verb
to defend to the deathto fight to the lastto obstinately cling toto rigidly adhere to (old ideas, methods, etc.)

Examples

  • 死守，。
    Zhàn shì men sǐ shǒu zhèn dì, zhí dào zuì hòu yí kè.
    The soldiers defended the position to the death until the last moment.
  • 死守，。
    Tā sǐ shǒu jiù guān niàn, bú yuàn yì jiē shòu xīn sī xiǎng.
    He obstinately clings to old ideas and is unwilling to accept new thoughts.
  • 死守，。
    Gōng sī sǐ shǒu chuán tǒng zuò fǎ, bù kěn gǎi gé.
    The company rigidly adheres to traditional practices and refuses to reform.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

死sǐto death
守shǒudefend

死 gives the idea of to the death, and 守 is the defending act.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

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

  • 宀宀miánroof; building
  • 寸寸cùnhand

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

Open 守 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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