硬挺 (yìng tǐng) — to force oneself to endure, to hold out stubbornly

Definition

Used for stubbornly pushing through pain, illness, or exhaustion rather than giving in or asking for help. Conveys endurance under duress, with an undertone of suffering in silence.

verb
to force oneself to endureto hold out stubbornly

Examples

  • 硬挺。
    Tā shēng bìng le hái yìng tǐng zhe qù shàng bān.
    He was sick but still forced himself to go to work.
  • 硬挺，。
    Bié yìng tǐng le, lèi le jiù xiū xi yí xià.
    Don't force yourself — take a break if you're tired.
  • ，硬挺。
    Tā téng dé zhí mào hàn, què yì shēng bù kēng dì yìng tǐng zhe.
    She was sweating from the pain but held out without a word.

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.

硬yìngstubbornly/forcefully
挺tǐngendure

The 硬 'stubbornly' supports 挺 'endure', meaning to hold out.

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 →

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
廷
廷tíng挺tǐng
Same sound today

挺 combines 手, a hand, with 廷, which gives its sound.

Open 挺 →

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