• to resist;
  • to oppose;
  • to withstand;
  • to reach;
  • to offset;
  • to be worth;

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

手 (손 수) — semantic component, meaning “hand,” representing manual action or resistance.

氐 (근본 저) — phonetic component, providing the sound jeo and implying “foundation” or “base.”

Together, they depict “a hand pressing against a base or resisting a force”, which naturally gave rise to the sense of pushing back, blocking, or holding firm.

Usage in Korean

抵抗 (저항) — resistance; to resist; to oppose

抵制 (저제) — to boycott; to resist actively

抵押 (저당) — mortgage; to pledge as collateral

抵達 (저달) — to arrive; to reach

抵銷 (저소) — to offset; to counterbalance

抵得上 (저득상) — to be worth; to compare with

抵命 (저명) — to pay with one’s life

抵賴 (저뢰) — to deny responsibility; to evade

抵死 (저사) — to resist to death; to die in opposition

抵用 (저용) — to redeem; to exchange value

Words that derived from

Additional notes

In ancient Chinese writings, 抵 described pushing back or blocking with one’s hands — a defensive, stabilizing gesture.

In military contexts, it referred to withstanding an enemy’s assault, as in “抵敵 (to resist the foe).”

「以力抵敵,不如以智勝之。」

“To resist an enemy by strength is less than to overcome him by wisdom.”

By the Han dynasty, the meaning of “抵” broadened from physical resistance to moral or intellectual opposition — standing one’s ground in principle.

It later acquired commercial and abstract meanings like “to offset” or “to balance accounts,” since balancing and resisting both imply opposing forces brought into equilibrium.

In modern usage (especially Chinese), 抵 has the additional sense of “to reach” (抵達) and “to be worth” (抵得上) — ideas rooted in the notion of “arriving at or matching a standard.”

抵 symbolizes firm resistance and balance — the active power of standing one’s ground against pressure.

The hand (手) signifies deliberate control, while the phonetic element 氐 evokes “foundation” or “root,” suggesting steadfastness at one’s base.

Thus, 抵 represents the strength to push back without collapsing, to oppose force with firmness and clarity.

「抵而不屈,剛之義也。」

“To resist without bending — this is the essence of strength.”

抵 teaches resilience — the will to stand upright in the face of opposition.

Whether in moral conviction, emotional endurance, or intellectual debate, true resistance is not blind defiance but measured firmness.

「君子以理抵惡,不以力。」

“The noble person resists evil with reason, not with force.”

Thus, 抵 stands as a character of strength through steadfastness, a symbol of resistance, balance, and inner endurance — to hold one’s ground calmly amid the pressures of the world.

막다
저, 지
makda
jeo, ji
Kangxi radical:64, + 5
Strokes:8
Unicode:U+62B5
Cangjie input:
  • 手竹心一 (QHPM)
  • 手竹女戈 (QHVI)
Composition:
  • ⿰ 扌 氐

Neighboring characters in the dictionary

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