Kilo Lingo

(bǎo chí) - to maintain, to keep, to preserve in Mandarin

bǎochí

Traditional: 保持

Line drawing of 保持
Coloured illustration of 保持
HSK 4
#586 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

to maintain, to keep, to preserve

Word origin

A two-character word: 保 'to protect, to keep' (the person radical 亻beside 呆) plus 持 'to hold' (hand radical 扌 + 寺 sì phonetic). Together 保持 means to maintain or keep.

Origin
compound
Root
保 (protect) + 持 (扌 hand + 寺 sì phonetic)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 保

Stroke order for 持

Examples

Please keep quiet.

liáng

You need to maintain good habits.

They maintained their friendship for many years.

He keeps the habit of reading every day.

保持 (bǎo chí) means to maintain, keep, or preserve a state or condition. 保 means to protect or keep and 持 means to hold or sustain. It is used for keeping conditions, habits, attitudes, or records: 保持联系 (keep in touch), 保持健康 (maintain health), 保持记录 (hold a record). It implies active effort to sustain something over time, contrasting with passive continuation. Common instruction: 请保持... (please keep...).

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Mandarin · Free printables

保持: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "保持" (to maintain, to keep, to preserve): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 12.