tenacious, take hold, grasp, take to heart
執 centers on holding firmly, whether physically grasping something or mentally clinging to an idea or feeling. The meanings 'tenacious', 'take hold', 'grasp', and 'take to heart' all express this idea of persistent, determined holding.
執 combines 幸 (originally a handcuff or shackle) with 丸 (a kneeling person), depicting a person being held or restrained. This gives the core idea of grasping or holding firmly.
The left side 幸 looks like a handcuff, and the right side 丸 resembles a kneeling person. Imagine a tenacious guard grasping a prisoner firmly, taking hold and not letting go.
For シツ, picture a tenacious guard who sits (シツ) firmly on a prisoner, refusing to let go. The guard's sitting posture cues シツ while reinforcing the idea of holding on tightly.
execution; carrying out; performance; enforcement; exercise; service; conduct
insistent; obstinate; persistent; tenacious
writing; authoring
steward; butler
attachment; adhesion; insistence; tenacity; fixation; obsession; clinging (e.g. to old customs)
persistent; obstinate; tenacious; relentless; insistent; importunate; persevering; stubborn
sticking to (an opinion, theory, belief, etc.); clinging to; adherence; persistence; insistence
tenacity; persistence; obsession; implacability
discord; antagonism
performance of one's official duties
to take (trouble); to attend (to business); to command (army)
administration; government; administrator; chief executive
performing a surgical operation
attachment (to); tenacity of purpose
court executive; sheriff; bailiff
devotion; attachment; infatuation
attachment; obsession; persistence
bias; eccentricity; obstinacy
to hold (a ceremony); to perform
deep-rooted delusion; firm conviction (based on incorrect beliefs)