An insulator could be driven into an emergent superconducting state when it is put in the extreme high-pressure condition, however, it is challenging to retain the obtained superconductivity to ambient pressure. Here we report on the creation and preservation of the superconductivity in chalcopyrite ZnGeP₂, a commercial nonlinear optical crystal. Electrical transport measurements reveal that the superconductivity, induced at a critical pressure ∼17 GPa, is robust not only upon further compression to 52.9 GPa, but also in the process when the pressure is gradually released to ambient pressure. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements document a structural origin of the unusual evolution of the superconductivity. The insulator-superconductor transition around 17 GPa is correlated with a structural transition from tetragonal to cubic phase, while the preserved superconductivity is consisitent with the irreversibility of the tetragonal-cubic phase transition and the presence of amorphization in the depressurized sample. These findings demonstrate a strategy to capture the high-pressure phase with emerging physical properties and will shed light on exploring novel superconductors by means of pressure treatment.