硬是 (yìng shì) — (adverb) stubbornly, insistently (doing something despite obstacles or opposition); (adverb) simply; just (used to emphasize the outcome of persistence)

Definition

硬是 (yìng shì) is an adverb meaning 'stubbornly' or 'insistently' — it highlights sheer persistence against difficulty or opposition, with a flavor of grudging admiration.

adverb
stubbornlyinsistently (doing something despite obstacles or opposition)simplyjust (used to emphasize the outcome of persistence)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 硬是。
    Tā yìng shì kào zì jǐ nǔ lì wán chéng le xué yè.
    He stubbornly completed his studies through his own efforts.
  • ，硬是。
    Suī rán hěn lèi, tā yìng shì jiān chí pǎo dào le zhōng diǎn.
    Though very tired, she simply insisted on running to the finish line.
  • ，硬是。
    Wǒ bú ràng tā lái, tā yìng shì yào guò lái bāng máng.
    I told him not to come, but he stubbornly insisted on coming to help.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

硬yìngstubbornly
是shìemphatic marker

硬 (stubbornly) combines with 是 (emphatic marker) to mean simply or insistently.

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
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
更
更gèng硬yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

硬 is built from 石, meaning stone, to show hardness or stiffness, and 更, which gives the sound.

Open 硬 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.