持

1. Physical: To hold, grasp, support, or carry. The emphasis is on stability and the maintenance of the object's position.

2. Temporal/Psychological: To sustain, persist in, or keep (e.g., maintaining a mood, silence, or grudge).

3. Formal/Legal: To uphold a law, principle, or tradition; to possess an official mandate or seal of office.

Primarily a transitive verb. When paired with an adjective or a noun describing a mental state, it often functions to describe a persisting condition (e.g., "remaining," "persisting in," or "maintaining").

• vs 握: While both involve grasping, 持 emphasizes stability and maintenance, whereas 握 implies a tight grip.
• vs 執: Both involve grasping, but 執 typically implies forceful seizure or the execution of power/tasks; 持 emphasizes duration and the sustaining of the hold.
• vs 守: Both can mean "keep," but 守 is primarily defensive, stationary, or protective (guarding), while 持 is active and supportive (upholding).

Fanqie reading: 直之; Tang-period reading: *djhiə.

The core semantic thread is the active, continuous application of effort to maintain a state or position, moving from physical grasping to abstract sustaining.