Chinese word

维持

Pronunciation

Pinyinwéi chí

Meaning

  • verbmaintain

Example

我们必须维持日常的习惯。wǒ men bì xū wéi chí rì cháng de xí guàn

We must maintain our daily habits.

Illustration for 维持 (maintain)

More examples

为了维持健康，他每天早睡早起。wèi le wéi chí jiàn kāng tā měi tiān zǎo shuì záo qǐ

To maintain his health, he goes to bed early and gets up early every day.

Core concept

Acts like a hand holding a balance steady, preserving the current state instead of letting it deteriorate.

Common phrases

  • 维持健康wéi chí jiàn kāng

    maintain health

  • 维持秩序wéi chí zhì xù

    maintain order

  • 维持生活wéi chí shēng huó

    maintain a livelihood

Similar words

保持bǎo chí: Keep something in its current condition, quality, or form over time.
继续jì xù: Keep an action or state going without stopping.
保存bǎo cún: Store objects or data safely so they are not damaged and can be used later.
维护wéi hù: Give ongoing care to equipment and systems, or support rights, so they stay properly protected.

Definition in Chinese

使某事物继续处于原有状态或水准，以防止改变或恶化。shǐ mǒu shì wù jì xù chǔ yú yuán yǒu zhuàng tài huò shuí zhǔn yǐ fáng zhǐ gǎi biàn huò è huà

Word origin

维持 (wéichí, "maintain") is formed from 维 (wéi, "to tie together") and 持 (chí, "to hold"), giving the word its sense of holding a situation together over time.

Usage tips

  • A useful usage pattern is to pair this verb with something already in place, because its focus is preserving an existing condition rather than creating a new one.

Other meanings

  • retainverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word