Complement Pattern “-zhù”
住
How it works
As a complement, 住 (zhù) often indicates that an action results in something becoming stable, fixed, firm, or unable to move away. At HSK6 level, this complement is not limited to very concrete physical meanings. It can also express:
holding something firmly
stopping something from moving
controlling a situation
fixing attention, emotion, or memory on something
So the core meaning is: the action reaches a state of firm holding, stability, or being fixed in place.
The pattern
Example sentences
听到那个消息以后，她虽然表面上没什么反应，手却不自觉地把杯子握住了。
After hearing that news, although she showed almost no reaction on the surface, her hand unconsciously gripped the cup tightly.
他刚想开口反驳，忽然又像是意识到了什么，硬生生把话忍住了。
He had just wanted to speak up in rebuttal when he suddenly seemed to realize something and forcibly held the words back.
在那么混乱的情况下，他竟然还能稳住整个局面，确实不容易。
Under such chaotic circumstances, the fact that he could still stabilize the whole situation was truly not easy.
Key point
At advanced level, 住 (zhù) often goes beyond physical action and extends to emotional control, situational control, or maintaining stability.