Understanding "固执" - Chinese Word Explanation

1. Basic Information

• Word: 固执
• Pinyin: gùzhí
• Literal Meaning: “firmly holding” or “holding fast” (固 = solid/fixed; 执 = to grasp or hold onto)
• Primary Meaning: stubborn; obstinate; unwilling to change one’s mind or give up one’s own view

2. In-depth Explanation

• Context and Usage: 固执 describes a person, attitude, or way of acting that sticks rigidly to a personal opinion or plan and resists advice, evidence, or compromise. It is usually negative or mildly critical, closer to “stubborn” or “pigheaded” than to admirable determination. You can use it of people (他很固执), of behavior (固执地坚持), or in phrases such as 固执己见 (“stubbornly clinging to one’s own view”). It is less often used for positive persistence; for that, learners usually choose words like 坚持 or 执着. Tone matters: said about a friend who will not listen, it sounds like a complaint; said lightly, it can be teasing rather than harsh.
• Character Breakdown: 固 (gù) means solid, firm, fixed, or hard to move—the same idea appears in words like 固定 (“fixed”) and 坚固 (“sturdy”). 执 (zhí) means to hold, grasp, or persist in doing something, as in 执行 (“to carry out”) and 执着 (“to be attached to / persistent about”). Together they picture someone gripping an idea so tightly that it will not budge.

3. Example Sentences

• Chinese: 他很固执，不肯听别人的意见。
• Pinyin: Tā hěn gùzhí, bù kěn tīng biérén de yìjiàn.

• English: He is very stubborn and refuses to listen to other people’s opinions.

• Chinese: 不要太固执，有时候改变想法是对的。

• Pinyin: Bú yào tài gùzhí, yǒu shíhou gǎibiàn xiǎngfǎ shì duì de.

• English: Don’t be too obstinate; sometimes changing your mind is the right thing to do.

• Chinese: 她固执地坚持自己的计划，结果错过了更好的机会。

• Pinyin: Tā gùzhí de jiānchí zìjǐ de jìhuà, jiéguǒ cuòguò le gèng hǎo de jīhuì.
• English: She stubbornly stuck to her own plan and ended up missing a better opportunity.

Cultural Notes (if applicable)

In everyday Chinese, 固执 is a judgment about flexibility, not just strength of will. Social life often values listening, face-saving compromise, and not forcing one’s view on others, so calling someone 固执 usually implies they are hard to reason with. A common set phrase is 固执己见, “clinging obstinately to one’s own opinion.” Learners should not confuse it with praise for perseverance: 坚持 stresses keeping on with something worthwhile, and 执着 can sound devoted or single-minded, while 固执 more often means “won’t budge, even when you should.”

Conclusion

Remember 固执 (gùzhí) as “holding an idea too firmly”: solid (固) plus grasping (执). Use it when someone is stubborn in a negative or critical sense, and reach for 坚持 or 执着 when you want to praise determination instead.

Sources and Further Reading

• MDBG Chinese Dictionary: 固执
• Wiktionary: 固执
• HSK vocabulary reference dataset

Dictionary links are provided for independent reference. Example sentences and learning notes on this page are educational explanations rather than dictionary quotations.