固 (gù): hard, strong, solid
固 (gù) is a Chinese character meaning “hard.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 囗 (semantic) and 古 (phonetic). It ranks #893 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 固 border. Its radical form 囗 (enclosure) appears in many related characters such as 四 (sì, four), 回 (huí, to circle), 国 (guó, country).
Definitions
- hard
- strong
- solid
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 固 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 固
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 固定verb | gù dìng | to fix | 5 |
| 坚固adjective | jiān gù | firm | 6 |
| 巩固adjective/verb | gǒng gù | to consolidate | 6 |
| 固体noun | gù tǐ | solid | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 固执adjective | gù zhí | obstinate |
| 顽固adjective | wán gù | stubborn |
| 类固醇noun | lèi gù chún | steroid |
| 牢固adjective | láo gù | firm |
| 凝固verb | níng gù | to freeze |
| 加固verb | jiā gù | to reinforce (a structure) |
| 胆固醇noun | dǎn gù chún | cholesterol |
| 稳固adjective | wěn gù | stable |
| 老顽固 | lǎo wán gù | (derog.) old-fashioned and stubborn person |
| 固执己见phrase | gù zhí jǐ jiàn | to persist in one's views |
| 固然adverb | gù rán | admittedly (it's true that...) |
| 固有adjective | gù yǒu | intrinsic to sth |
| 根深蒂固phrase | gēn shēn dì gù | deep-rooted (problem etc) |
| 固若金汤phrase | gù ruò jīn tāng | (lit.) secure as a city protected by a wall of metal and a moat of boiling water (idiom) |
| 固态noun | gù tài | solid state (physics) |
固 appears in 83 compound words: 49 as the first character, 23 as the last, and 28 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 固 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
Example Sentences
固字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。
gù zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character "固" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
...书记:在新的发展阶段增强“物质内力”与巩固“精神内力”
. . . shū jì : zài xīn de fā zhǎn jiē duàn zēng qiáng wù zhì nèi lì yǔ gǒng gù jīng shén nèi lì
... Secretary: Enhance "material internal force" and consolidate "spiritual internal force" in the new development stage
民调前夕 江启臣固桩本命区 杨琼璎端政绩
mín diào qián xī jiāng qǐ chén gù zhuāng běn mìng qū yáng 琼 璎 duān zhèng jì
On the eve of the polls, Jiang Qichen solidified the pile of the natal district Yang Qiongying's political achievements
嘉义选情黄家班两样情 嘉市根基稳固、嘉县陷重整纷争
jiā yì xuǎn qíng huáng jiā bān liǎng yàng qíng jiā shì gēn jī wěn gù , jiā xiàn xiàn chóng zhěng fēn zhēng
Chiayi election situation Huang Jiaban two loves Jia City has a solid foundation, and Jia County is trapped in a reorganization dispute
敏感时刻...习近平致电金正恩 巩固中朝关系
mǐn gǎn shí kè . . . xí jìn píng zhì diàn jīn zhèng ēn gǒng gù zhōng cháo guān xì
Sensitive moments... Xi Jinping called Kim Jong-un to consolidate China-North Korea relations
敏感时刻 习致电金正恩 巩固中朝关系
mǐn gǎn shí kè xí zhì diàn jīn zhèng ēn gǒng gù zhōng cháo guān xì
Sensitive moment Xi called Kim Jong-un to consolidate China-North Korea relations
绳子不够牢固，撑不住他。
Shéngzi bù gòu láogù, chēng bù zhù tā.
The rope wasn't strong enough to support him.
这个梯子是否足够坚固以承受我的重量？
Zhège tīzi shìfǒu zúgòu jiāngù yǐ chéngshòu wǒ de zhòngliàng?
Is this ladder strong enough to bear my weight?
汤姆挺固执的不是吗？
Tāng mǔ tǐng gùzhi de bù shì ma?
Tom is being quite obstinate, isn't he?
水结冰后成为固体。
Shuǐ jiébīng hòu chéngwéi gùtǐ.
Water becomes solid when it freezes.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 固 (gù) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 固 and 软?
How many strokes does 固 have?
What is the radical of 固?
What are the components of 固?
What are common words containing 固?
What characters sound the same as 固 (gù)?
Is 固 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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