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 "support"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "support", including 持 (chí), 撑 (chēng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "support" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 持 (chí), 撑 (chēng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chí, chēng — 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
- 撑 chēngsupport; prop-up; to pole a boat; to open; to overfillUseful words: 支撑, 撑开
Common words for these 2 "support" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 持 (chí) — so "support" 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支撑zhī chēngto prop up; to support; strut; brace撑开chēng kāito stretch taut; to open (an umbrella); to hold (a bag etc) open; to prop open强撑qiǎng chēngto use all one's willpower (to do sth); to hang in there
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 2 ways to say "support".
撑 chēng — support; prop-up; to pole a boat; to open; to overfill
下雨了，他撑起伞快步往家走。Xià yǔ le, tā chēng qǐ sǎn kuài bù wǎng jiā zǒu.It rained, and he put up his umbrella and walked quickly home.
Common words: 支撑 (zhī chēng)、撑开 (chēng kāi)、强撑 (qiǎng chēng)
All 2 characters
Open 持、撑 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.