staunch / stanch

• Meaning:
  
• [adj] firm, strong, substantial
  
• [v] stop (eg. the flow of something)
• In Hong Kong slang: 勁 (as in 勁撐)， 堅挺， 頂住
  
• In decent Chinese: 強而有力
• Where we first met: The Scotsman - the parents of the British soldier killed in Iraq issued a staunch defence of the army's role in that country.