執

執 (Kangxi radical 32, 土+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 土十大弓戈 (GJKNI), four-corner 4541₇, composition ⿰幸丸)

• 𠌷, 蓻, 𢄢, 摯(挚), 𡠗, 蟄(蛰), 鷙(鸷), 騺, 墊(垫), 慹, 𩅀, 䙝, 𡪐, 謺, 𣊓, 䠟, 𦎷

• 执 (Simplified Chinese)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 231, character 9
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 5193
• Dae Jaweon: page 467, character 15
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 457, character 5
• Unihan data for U+57F7

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 㚔 (“criminal / handcuffs”) + 丮 (“hand”): to arrest. In the present form, 㚔 (niè) and 丮 (jǐ) have been replaced by 幸 (xìng) and 丸 (wán), respectively.

Also phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *tjib) : phonetic 㚔 () + semantic 丮.

Possibly related to Tibetan ཆབ (chab, “power; dominion”) or Khmer ចាប់ (cap, “to grasp; to seize”) (Schuessler 2007). Korean 집 (jip-, “to pick up; to grab”) is probably coincidental.

“to go bankrupt and close down”

Clipping of 執笠／执笠.

執

1. to hold in the hand

   • 執子之手，與子偕老。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     执子之手，与子偕老。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zhí zǐ zhī shǒu, yǔ zǐ xié lǎo. [Pinyin]

     With your hand in mine, we grow old together.

   • 倦馬看山好，執鞭故不加。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: 《看山》("Touring the mountains") by Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), 1800s

     Gwon ma gan san ho, jip pyeon go bul ga. [Sino-Korean]

     When touring the mountains, a lazy horse is good; holding my whip, I therefore use it not.

2. to hold (authority, etc.); to manage
3. to keep; to hold to; to insist

   固執／固执  ―  gùzhí  ―  to stubbornly persist

4. to carry out
5. (literary) to arrest; to capture

   • 此能為大矣，而不能執鼠。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     此能为大矣，而不能执鼠。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Cǐ néng wèi dà yǐ, ér bù néng zhí shǔ. [Pinyin]

     It is large indeed, but it cannot catch mice.

   • 王信之，使執連尹。太子建出奔。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王信之，使执连尹。太子建出奔。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE

     Wáng xìn zhī, shǐ zhí Liányǐn. Tàizǐ Jiàn chūbēn. [Pinyin]

     The king believed him, and had Lianyin arrested. Crown Prince Jian escaped.

6. (Cantonese) to pick up

   執垃圾／执垃圾 [Cantonese]  ―  zap¹ laap⁶ saap³ [Jyutping]  ―  to pick up rubbish

   • 1985, “最緊要好玩”, in 林振強 (lyrics), 最緊要好玩, performed by 許冠傑:

     我想攀登火山，執塊石頭用嚟煎蛋 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我想攀登火山，执块石头用嚟煎蛋 [Cantonese, simp.]

     ngo⁵ soeng² paan¹ dang¹ fo² saan¹, zap¹ faai³ sek⁶ tau⁴ jung⁶ lei⁴ zin¹ daan^6-2 [Jyutping]

     I want to climb a volcano, get a rock, and use it to fry an egg

7. (Cantonese) to clean up; to tidy up

   去執下你間房好喎。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   去执下你间房好㖞。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   heoi³ zap¹ haa⁵ nei⁵ gaan¹ fong^4-2 hou² wo³. [Jyutping]

   You should go clean up your room.

8. (Cantonese) to go bankrupt and close down

   間鋪頭執咗好耐喇。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   间铺头执咗好耐喇。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   gaan¹ pou³ tau^4-2 zap¹ zo² hou² noi⁶ laa³. [Jyutping]

   The shop closed down a long time ago.

9. (Cantonese) Classifier for pinches (small amount that could be held between fingertips) of objects.

   一執鹽／一执盐 [Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ zap¹ jim⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  a pinch of salt

   一執頭髮／一执头发 [Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ zap¹ tau⁴ faat³ [Jyutping]  ―  a small bunch of hair

• “執”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. tenacious, take hold, grasp, take to heart

• Go-on: しゅう (shū, Jōyō)^{←しふ (sifu, historical)}
• Kan-on: しゅう (shū, Jōyō)^{←しふ (sifu, historical)}
• Kan’yō-on: しつ (shitsu, Jōyō)
• Kun: とる (toru, 執る, Jōyō); とらえる (toraeru, 執える)^{←とらへる (toraferu, 執へる, historical)}
• Nanori: し (shi)

執(まもる) • (Mamoru) 

1. a male given name

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕip̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [집]

Wikisource 執 (eum 집 (jip))

1. hold in hand, keep, carry out

執: Hán Việt readings: chấp[1][2][3]
執: Nôm readings: chắp[1][2][3][4], giúp[1][2][3][4], chập[1][3][4], giập[1][3][4], xấp[1][3][4], chặp[2][3][4], chụp[2][3][4], chấp[1][2], xắp[3][4], xúp[3][4], chộp[3], xóp[3], xụp[3], chợp[4], giộp[4]

1. chữ Hán form of chấp.

• 執行 (chấp hành)