Definition
止 (zhǐ) means 'to stop' and often implies a deliberate halt or prevention, like stopping bleeding or a fire. It is more formal and literary than 停 (tíng), which is the everyday word for stopping a vehicle or activity. 停止 (tíng zhǐ) is a longer, more formal synonym for ceasing an ongoing action.
verb
to stopto ceaseto haltto preventto stop (from happening)
Easily confused
- 只zhǐsound-alike(classifier) used for one of a pair of animals, objects, or body parts; also for boats, certain containers
- 只zhǐsound-alikeonly, just, merely
- 之zhīsound-alike(literary, possessive particle) equivalent to 的
- 之zhīsound-alike(literary pronoun) him, her, it (used as object)
- 指zhǐsound-aliketo point at, to indicate, to show
- 支zhīsound-alikeclassifier for long, thin objects (pens, guns), army divisions, and songs/compositions
- 支zhīsound-aliketo prop up, to support
- 直zhísound-alike(adjective) straight; frank; fair
- 至zhìsound-alike(verb, literary) to arrive
- 值zhísound-alike(verb) to be worth
Examples
- 止，。Qǐng xiān zhǐ yíxià, tīng wǒ shuō wán.Please stop for a moment and let me finish speaking.
- 。Tā yòng shǒu zhǐ zhù le shāngkǒu.He used his hand to stop the wound from bleeding.
- 。Dàhuǒ zhōngyú bèi zhǐ zhù le.The big fire was finally stopped.
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