执 (zhí): to execute (a plan), to grasp
执 (zhí) is a Chinese character meaning “to execute (a plan).” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (structural) and 丸 (structural). It ranks #763 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 执 a hand 扌 clutching a pebble 丸. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to execute (a plan)
- to grasp
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand 扌 clutching a pebble 丸
Decomposition: ⿰扌丸 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 执 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 执
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 执照noun | zhí zhào | license |
| 执法verb | zhí fǎ | to enforce a law |
| 争执verb | zhēng zhí | to dispute |
| 固执adjective | gù zhí | obstinate |
| 偏执adjective | piān zhí | extreme and inflexible |
| 执政官noun | zhí zhèng guān | consul (of the Roman Republic) |
| 执勤verb | zhí qín | to be on duty (of a security guard etc) |
| 执意adverb | zhí yì | to be determined to |
| 执业verb | zhí yè | to work in a profession (e.g. doctor, lawyer) |
| 执政noun | zhí zhèng | to hold power |
| 执著 | zhí zhuó | variant of 執著|执着 |
| 执教verb | zhí jiào | to teach |
| 固执己见phrase | gù zhí jǐ jiàn | to persist in one's views |
| 执导verb | zhí dǎo | to direct (a film, play etc) |
| 执掌verb | zhí zhǎng | to wield (power etc) |
执 appears in 66 compound words: 52 as the first character, 14 as the last, and 35 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 执 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
to maintain the law as firm as a mountain (idiom); to enforce the law strictly
Example Sentences
他执意要去，谁也拦不住。
Tā zhíyì yào qù, shéi yě lán bù zhù.
He was determined to go; no one could stop him.
联发科执行长蔡力行指能源是AI最大限制 台达电再...
lián fā kē zhí háng cháng 蔡 lì háng zhǐ néng yuán shì A I zuì dà xiàn zhì tái dá diàn zài . . .
MediaTek CEO Cai Lixing pointed out that energy is the biggest limitation of AI, and Delta is again...
...亿!张国炜今现身法院 加速出招“撤换遗嘱执行人”
. . . yì ! zhāng guó 炜 jīn xiàn shēn fǎ yuàn jiā sù chū zhāo chè huàn yí zhǔ zhí háng rén
... Billion! Zhang Guowei appeared in the court today to accelerate the move to "remove the executor"
巴菲特执掌的最后一季 波克夏上季依然卖超美股
bā 菲 tè zhí zhǎng de zuì hòu yī jì bō kè xià shàng jì yī rán mài chāo měi gǔ
Buffett's last season at the helm Berkshire still sold more than U.S. stocks last season
川普执政周年民调崩盘!64%痛批关税误国
chuān pǔ zhí zhèng zhōu nián mín diào bēng pán ! 6 4 tòng pī guān shuì wù guó
Trump's anniversary polls collapsed! 64% criticized tariffs for misleading the country
武警官兵坚守执勤岗位 守护万家灯火
wǔ jǐng guān bīng jiān shǒu zhí qín gāng wèi shǒu hù mò jiā dēng huǒ
Armed police officers and soldiers stick to their duty posts to guard the lights of all homes.
群众妨碍了警员执行任务。
Qúnzhòng fáng'ài le jǐng yuán zhíxíng rènwu.
The crowd obstructed the police in the discharge of their duties.
你执行你的计划了吗？
Nǐ zhíxíng nǐ de jìhuà le ma?
Did you carry out your plan?
我可以看看你的驾驶执照吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ kànkan nǐ de jiàshǐzhízhào ma?
May I see your driver's license?
你拒绝执行，是不是？
Nǐ jùjué zhíxíng, shìbùshì?
You refused to do that, didn't you?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 执 (zhí)?
Is 执 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 执 with real-time feedback
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