chí

sustain

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
扌 meaning component

  Meaning component

shoushǒu

  

hand

is a component form of .

寺 sound component

  Sound component

  

temple

Evolution

持 Bronze script Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze script

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
持 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
持 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
持 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

chí

sustain, support; hold, grasp; to hold; to grasp; to support; to maintain; to persevere; to manage; to run (i.e. administer); to control

Most common words with 持
Freq.
Word
Meaning

支持

to support

保持

to keep

坚持

to persevere with

持续

to continue

维持

to keep