支柱 zhīzhù mainstay
mainstay; pillar; prop; backbone
How to remember 支柱: 支 branch + 柱 pillar = mainstay.
Characters
How it is used
- A pillar or mainstay - usually figurative - 他是家庭的支柱 (tā shì jiātíng de zhīzhù) he's the mainstay of the family; 支柱产业 (zhīzhù chǎnyè) a pillar industry.
- The main thing holding something up - a person, industry, or belief that everything else leans on.