There were many upright remonstrating officials in ancient times.
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抗直 is literary and somewhat archaic — encountered in classical biographies of officials and in modern editorials reaching for gravitas. Everyday Mandarin uses 正直 (zhèngzhí 'upright') or 刚正 (gāngzhèng 'firm and just').
memory
抗 = 'to resist / stand against' + 直 = 'straight / upright'. A 抗直 person stands straight against pressure — the moral spine that won't bend to power.
