維持
いじ · iji · JLPT N3 · noun
care
🔧 維持 = tie + hold: keep things tied together; sounds like easy-to-keep
維 means a cord or tie and also to support, as in 繊維 (fiber). 持 means to hold, as in 持つ. Tying something and holding on to it is how you preserve it. Hook: iji, keeping it going is easy if you never let go.
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.