坚持堅持 jiānchí — to persist, to insist on, to stick with
jiānchí (first tone, high and level)jian1chi2
Traditional: 堅持
to persist, to insist on, to stick with
HSK 4· HSK 1–4 (classic)verb
Meanings
to persist, to insist on, to stick with
坚, hard and firm, holding 持 its grip — continuing something precisely because it has become difficult, tiring or unpopular. 继续 says only that an action goes on; 坚持 says it goes on against resistance.
verb
Common combinations
- 坚持下去jiānchí (first tone, high and level) xiàqu (fourth tone, falling)
to keep going, to hold out
Example sentences
- 虽然很累，他还是坚持锻炼身体，没有放弃。雖然很累，他還是堅持鍛煉身體，沒有放棄。Suīrán (first tone, high and level) hěn (third tone, dipping) lèi, (fourth tone, falling) tā (first tone, high and level) háishi (second tone, rising) jiānchí (first tone, high and level) duànliàn (fourth tone, falling) shēntǐ, (first tone, high and level) méiyǒu (second tone, rising) fàngqì. (fourth tone, falling)···
Even though he was tired, he kept exercising and didn’t give up.
- 不管别人怎么说，她都坚持自己的想法。不管別人怎麼說，她都堅持自己的想法。Bùguǎn (fourth tone, falling) biérén (second tone, rising) zěnme (third tone, dipping) shuō, (first tone, high and level) tā (first tone, high and level) dōu (first tone, high and level) jiānchí (first tone, high and level) zìjǐ (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) xiǎngfǎ. (third tone, dipping)···
No matter what others say, she sticks to her own opinion.
Common mistakes
Not quite今天天气很好，我坚持出去玩。
Correct今天天气很好，我打算出去玩。
坚持 always implies overcoming something — tiredness, difficulty, other people’s objections. Going out to play on a fine day involves no resistance at all, so it only needs 打算 or 想, never 坚持.