verb HSK 5
Traditional 繼
to continue · to succeed · to follow
Meaning
继 means to continue or to succeed to something. It often appears in compound words indicating continuation, succession, or following after something else. As a standalone character, it's more literary, but it's extremely common in two-character compounds.
Usage
继 is rarely used alone in modern spoken Chinese. It almost always appears in compounds like 继续 (to continue), 继承 (to inherit), or 相继 (one after another). In classical Chinese and formal writing, it can stand alone meaning 'to succeed' or 'to follow after.'
Examples
- 01他继他父亲之后成为公司总裁。.He succeeded his father to become company president.
- 02学生们相继走进教室。.The students entered the classroom one after another.
Common collocations
- 继而then, afterwards
- 继任to succeed to a position
- 前仆后继to advance wave upon wave (idiom)
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 繼 combines the silk radical 糸 with 㡭, suggesting the idea of tying threads together continuously, symbolizing continuation or connection.