坚持 (jiān chí) — to persevere with in Mandarin

jiān​ chí
“to persevere with”

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#592 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B2

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

坚持 is pronounced jiān chí. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

jiān
first tone (high & flat, ˉ)
chí
second tone (rising, ˊ)

In a sentence

Wǒ měitiān jiānchí yùndòng.

I persist in exercising every day.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 坚持 mean?+

坚持 (jiān chí) means "to persevere with" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 坚持?+

坚持 is pronounced jiān chí. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 坚持 in Mandarin?+

坚持 is the #592 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 坚持 fits

HSK 4 · CEFR B2
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Every HSK 4 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.

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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.