持 chí — to grasp; to hold; support; manage; direct; maintain
做任何事都要坚持。Zuò rèn hé shì dōu yào jiān chí.In doing anything, you must persevere.
Common words: 支持 (zhī chí)、保持 (bǎo chí)、坚持 (jiān chí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "direct"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "direct", including 持 (chí), 朝 (cháo / zhāo), 迪 (dí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "direct" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 持 (chí), 朝 (cháo / zhāo), 迪 (dí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chí, cháo, zhāo, dí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 持 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 持 chíto grasp; to hold; support; manage; direct; maintainUseful words: 支持, 保持
- 朝 cháo / zhāoto face; towards; facing; direct; a dynasty; the imperial courtUseful words: 朝代, 朝气蓬勃
- 迪 dídirect; followUseful words: 启迪, 迪吧
Common words for these 3 "direct" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 持 (chí) — so "direct" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
支持zhī chíto be in favor of; to support; to back; support保持bǎo chíto keep; to maintain; to hold; to preserve坚持jiān chíto persevere with; to persist in; to insist on朝代cháo dàidynasty; reign (of a king)朝气蓬勃zhāo qì péng bófull of youthful energy (idiom); vigorous; energetic; a bright spark朝着cháo zhetowards启迪qǐ díto edify; enlightenment迪吧dí bādisco (coll.); diva (loanword)训迪xùn díguidance; to instruct; pedagogy
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "direct".
朝 cháo / zhāo — to face; towards; facing; direct; a dynasty; the imperial court
我们的房子朝南。Wǒ men de fáng zi cháo nán.Our house faces south.
Common words: 朝代 (cháo dài)、朝气蓬勃 (zhāo qì péng bó)、朝着 (cháo zhe)
迪 dí — direct; follow
迪士尼乐园是孩子们最喜欢的地方。Dí shì ní lè yuán shì hái zi men zuì xǐ huan de dì fang.Disneyland is the children favorite place.
Common words: 启迪 (qǐ dí)、迪吧 (dí bā)、训迪 (xùn dí)
All 3 characters
Open 持、朝、迪 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.