What does the 'hold' function in a car mean in Chinese?
3 Answers
The 'hold' function in a car translates to 'maintain' in Chinese. When this button is pressed, the automatic transmission enters hold mode, and the hold mode indicator light on the dashboard illuminates. The hold button adjusts the driving state according to different road conditions, effectively preventing the transmission from frequently shifting gears. It serves to force downshifting without upshifting during overtaking. When starting on snowy roads, using second gear instead of first gear provides a smoother start. By placing the gear lever in position 2 and pressing the hold button, the transmission maintains a gear ratio in second gear for a more stable start. When driving through continuous curves, the automatic transmission in normal mode may frequently shift gears due to the driver's control of the accelerator pedal.
This symbol is commonly seen in cars, indicating that the vehicle is equipped with an auto hold or automatic hold function. The direct Chinese translation is "hold," and its actual purpose is to help lock the brakes when temporarily stopping. For example, after stopping at a red light, even if you take your foot off the brake pedal, the system will continue to apply braking pressure, preventing the car from rolling forward. When the light turns green, simply tapping the accelerator will automatically release the brake and allow the car to continue moving. This is especially convenient during uphill or downhill traffic jams or frequent stops at traffic lights, as it eliminates the need to keep your foot on the brake pedal. Nowadays, this feature is standard in domestically produced cars priced around 100,000 yuan.
I've encountered many trainees asking about this during driving instruction. It's called Auto Hold, which prevents the car from rolling backward when parked on a slope, especially useful in urban traffic congestion. Once activated, there's no need to manually engage the electronic parking brake - the car automatically brakes when stopped. To start again, just gently press the accelerator; the system will automatically adjust braking force based on the slope. Nowadays many SUV models combine this with Hill Start Assist, making operation simple and safe.
