持 (chí)

to hold; to grasp; to support; to maintain; to persevere; to manage; t

HSK 3.1 level 7
9 strokes

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 寺 represents the sound.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》：“持，握也。从手，寺聲。”

Components

扌 (meaning) — 扌 is a component form of 手.
寺 (sound)