固执

• Pinyin: gù zhí
• Hanzi breakdown: 固 = 囗 + 古 — firm, rigid, unyielding; 执 = to hold firmly, to grasp, to adhere to stubbornly

Meaning

Stubbornly clinging to one's own views or ways without being willing to change, regardless of evidence or persuasion; obstinate; inflexible. A generally negative descriptor.

固执 carries a clearly negative connotation in most contexts, implying an unwillingness to adapt or reconsider. However, it can occasionally be reframed positively as steadfast commitment to one's convictions. Often appears in descriptions of personality clashes in relationships or workplace dynamics. Collocates with 己见 (one's own views): 固执己见.

Examples

1. 他固执地坚持自己的判断，即便所有的数据都指向相反的结论。 He stubbornly stuck to his own judgment, even though all the data pointed to the opposite conclusion.
2. 这位老人固执得很，任凭子女怎么劝说，他就是不肯去医院检查。 The old man is extremely stubborn—no matter how his children tried to persuade him, he just wouldn’t go to the hospital for an exam.
3. 领导者的固执有时会阻碍团队接受更优的解决方案。 A leader’s stubbornness can sometimes keep a team from embracing a better solution.

Usage Guide

Context: personality, relationships, workplace, conflict, psychology

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 他过于固执，不愿听取任何不同意见，导致整个团队的创造力受到压制。(He is too stubborn, unwilling to accept any differing opinions, which has suppressed the entire team's creativity.)
• 性格固执本身并非坏事，关键在于能否在适当时候保持开放的心态。(Being stubborn by nature is not inherently bad — what matters is whether one can maintain an open mind at the right moments.)

Don't Say

• 将'固执'与'坚持'视为同义词 — 坚持 carries a positive connotation of perseverance toward a worthy goal; 固执 implies unreasonable or counterproductive stubbornness

Origin & History

固 (firm; solid; unyielding) + 执 (to hold firmly; to grasp). The compound conveys the image of grasping onto something rigidly and refusing to let go.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal