支持
zhīchí · HSK 3
support
🙌 支 = branch/prop + 持 = hold; together: prop up and hold
支 originally showed a hand holding a branch, meaning to prop or support. 持 is hand 扌+ 寺, meaning to hold or maintain. Combined, 支持 means to back, sustain, or hold up a person or idea.
支 — hand 又 holding a branch 十
Originally a pictograph showing a hand (又) holding a branch broken from a tree, depicting the act of supporting or propping something up. From this came meanings like 'branch,' 'to support,' and 'to pay out.' It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 枝 (branch) and 技 (skill).
持 — hand 扌 + temple 寺 (phonetic)
持 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning 'to hold' or 'grasp', while 寺 supplies the sound (it once read close to chí). Originally depicting a hand holding something firmly, it broadened to mean 'maintain', 'support', or 'keep' over time.