支 (zhī) - to support & to prop up

支Tone 1

zhī ｜ 4 strokes ｜ radical: 支

丈志

支 · zhī

to support;

to prop up;

to sustain;

to pay;

a branch;

a measure word for long, thin objects or for troops;

to send away;

to dispatch

to supportto prop upto sustain

Usage highlights

to supportto paybranch officeexpenditureto prop upto dispatch

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 收— to receive (antonym in financial context)
  • 主— main (antonym to branch)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The company provides support (支持) to local businesses.
  • This is a branch (分支) of the main library.
  • I need to pay the bill (支付账单).
  • He received a monthly stipend (月支).

Collocations

  • to support(支持)
  • to pay(支付)
  • branch office(分支机构)
  • expenditure(支出)
  • to prop up(支撑)
  • to dispatch(支派)

Idioms

  • Unable to cope with the situation(支吾其词)
  • To be at the end of one's resources(左支右绌)
  • To be hard pressed on both sides(左右支绌)
  • To be barely able to keep going(支离破碎)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a hand holding a branch, representing the concept of support and branching.
  • Used historically as an administrative term for branches of government or military units.
  • In traditional Chinese accounting, 支 represents expenditures while 收 represents income.

FAQ