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甘休 (gān xiū) — to be willing to stop / to give up (typically in negative constructions)

Definition

甘休 is an intransitive verb that almost always appears negated (不肯, 不会, 绝不) to mean 'refuse to give up' or 'won't let the matter rest' — not a neutral way to say 'stop'.

verb
to be willing to stop / to give up (typically in negative constructions)

Examples

  • ，甘休。
    Tā shū le bǐ sài, jué bù gān xiū.
    He lost the match and absolutely will not give up.
  • 甘休，。
    Tā men bú huì gān xiū, yí dìng huì jì xù zhuī chá.
    They won't let it rest; they will definitely continue investigating.
  • 甘休。
    Zhè jiàn shì tā jué bù kěn gān xiū.
    He absolutely refused to let this matter go.

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.

甘gānwilling
休xiūstop

甘 means willing and 休 means stop, so 甘休 means being willing to stop.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

甘 originally drew an open mouth with something sweet inside it. This gives the sense of sweet or pleasant.

Open 甘 →

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

休 pairs 人 (man) with 木 (tree), showing a person leaning against a tree to rest.

Open 休 →
Appears in
Will & Intention

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