Meaning
抗 means to resist, oppose, or fight against something, often used in contexts involving physical resistance, defiance of authority, or immunity. It commonly appears as a prefix meaning 'anti-' or 'resistant to' in compound words related to medicine, war, and social movements.
Usage
抗 is typically used in formal or semi-formal contexts and rarely stands alone in modern spoken Mandarin. It almost always appears in compounds like 抗议 (to protest), 抗生素 (antibiotics), or 反抗 (to resist). The character carries a sense of actively opposing or withstanding pressure, rather than passive avoidance.
Examples
- 01我们必须团结起来抗击疫情。.We must unite to fight against the epidemic.
- 02这种植物有很强的抗旱能力。.This plant has a strong ability to resist drought.
Common collocations
- 抗生素antibiotic
- 抗战war of resistance (especially WWII)
- 抗击to resist, to fight against
- 抗压to withstand pressure
Antonyms
Origin
The character 抗 combines the hand radical 扌(手) on the left with 亢 (kàng) on the right, which originally meant 'high' or 'lofty.' The hand component suggests physical action, while 亢 contributes the pronunciation and implies standing tall against something.