Chinese symbol for “mainstay”
支柱
zhī zhù
mainstay; pillar; prop; backbone
The closest CC-CEDICT match for mainstay is 支柱 (zhī zhù), defined as: mainstay; pillar; prop; backbone.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “mainstay”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中流砥柱 | zhōng liú dǐ zhù | mainstay; cornerstone |
| 主力军 (主力軍) | zhǔ lì jūn | main force (military); (fig.) the group or element with the most impact |
| 栋梁 (棟梁) | dòng liáng | ridgepole; ridgepole and beams |
| 归依 (歸依) | guī yī | to convert to (a religion); to rely upon |
| 台柱 (臺柱) | tái zhù | pillar; mainstay |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 支柱.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 支持 | zhī chí | to be in favor of; to support |
| 支付 | zhī fù | to pay (money) |
| 支援 | zhī yuán | to provide assistance; to support |
| 支撑 (支撐) | zhī chēng | to prop up; to support |
| 支出 | zhī chū | to spend; to pay out; expenses; expenditure |
| 支持者 | zhī chí zhě | supporter |
| 柱子 | zhù zi | pillar; measure word: 根 (gēn) |
| 石柱 | shí zhù | stela; upright stone |
See also: Japanese symbol for “mainstay”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.