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沉住气 (chén zhù qì) — to keep calm; to stay composed (especially under pressure)

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to keep one's composure' under pressure, urging someone to hold steady emotionally rather than act rashly.

verb
to keep calmto stay composed (especially under pressure)

Examples

  • ，沉住气。
    Yù dào jǐn jí qíng kuàng, yí dìng yào chén zhù qì.
    When facing an emergency, you must keep calm.
  • 沉住气，。
    Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng néng chén zhù qì, zuì zhōng yíng dé le guàn jūn.
    He was able to stay calm in the competition and eventually won the championship.
  • 沉住气，。
    chén zhù qì, Bié bèi duì fāng de tiǎo xìn jī nù.
    Stay calm; don't be provoked by the other side's taunts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

沉住sink and stay settled
沉chénsink住zhùstay
补充Verb + complement
气qìtemper

沉住 settles something down, and 气 refers to one's temper, giving the sense of staying composed.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 沉 →

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
主
主zhǔ住zhù
Same sound today

住 pairs 亻, the person radical (written fully as 人), with 主, which supplies the sound.

Open 住 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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