操持 (cāo chi) — to manage; to handle (affairs, household tasks, etc.)

Definition

Means taking charge of and running the practical details of affairs (household, business, events) — the hands-on managing of daily tasks, not strategic 管理.

verb
to manageto handle (affairs, household tasks, etc.)

Examples

  • 操持。
    Tā yí gè rén cāo chi zhe zhěng gè jiā tíng de shì wù.
    She single-handedly manages the entire family's affairs.
  • 操持。
    Jīng yíng zhè jiā xiǎo gōng sī xū yào cāo chi hěn duō rì cháng suǒ shì.
    Running this small company requires handling many daily trivial matters.
  • 操持，。
    Lǎo rén cāo chi le jǐ shí nián de jiā wù, xiàn zài zhōng yú kě yǐ xiū xi le.
    The elderly person has been managing household chores for decades, and now can finally rest.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

操cāohandle
持chímaintain

操 and 持 both carry handling or maintaining senses, so together they mean manage or keep things going.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
喿
喿zào操cāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 手 shows a hand, indicating an action done by hand. The right part 喿 gives the sound.

Open 操 →

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì持chí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

持 combines 手 (hand), for the idea of holding, with 寺, which gives the sound.

Open 持 →

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