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Expressing 'holding onto' with 保住 (bǎozhù)
Actions & Events
Existence & Possession
Structure
Subject + 保住 + (了) + Object
Explanation
保住 (bǎozhù) means "to keep," "to hold onto," or "to preserve" something that might otherwise be lost. The complement 住 after 保 indicates successfully maintaining or securing something. It is often used with abstract nouns like wealth, position, or reputation.
Examples
他拼命工作，就是为了保住这份工作。
tā pīnmìng gōngzuò, jiùshì wèile bǎozhù zhè fèn gōngzuò.
He works desperately hard just to keep this job.
经济不好的时候，能保住饭碗就不错了。
jīngjì bù hǎo de shíhou, néng bǎozhù fànwǎn jiù búcuò le.
When the economy is bad, it's not bad just to be able to keep your job.
她想尽办法保住了自己的名声。
tā xiǎngjìn bànfǎ bǎozhù le zìjǐ de míngshēng.
She tried every possible way to protect her reputation.