Definition
站住 is a resultative verb compound (verb + result complement) from 站 'stand' + 住 'to hold/fix'. It means 'to stop and stay still' (literally, ordering someone to halt), but more commonly and figuratively it means 'to hold water / be tenable' — used for arguments, theories, or reasoning that can stand up to scrutiny. The negative form 站不住 or its variant 站不住脚 means 'untenable / doesn't hold water'. You can also split it with 得/不 for possibility: 站得住 'can be defended', 站不住 'cannot be maintained'.
r.v.
to haltto stop (and stay put)to hold waterto be tenable (of arguments, theories, etc.)
Examples
- ：“站住！”。Jǐngchá dà hǎn: “zhàn zhù!” Nà rén lìkè tíng le xiàlái.The police shouted, 'Stop!' and that person immediately halted.
- ，。Nǐ de lǐyóu gēnběn zhàn bú zhù, méiyǒu shìshí yījù.Your reasoning simply doesn't hold water; it has no factual basis.
- ？。Zhège lǐlùn zhàn de zhù jiǎo ma? Xūyào gèng duō de zhèngjù lái zhīchí.Is this theory tenable? We need more evidence to support it.
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