着

著

zhāo, zháo, zhe, zhuó

目 + 羊

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 2

Definitions

zhe (particle) aspect particle indicating action in progress

zhuó (verb) to wear; to use; to apply

zháo (verb) to touch; to come in contact with; to catch fire; to succeed in

Etymology

Simplified form of 著. 艹 represents the meaning and 者 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "chopsticks", now written as 箸. The modern meanings are phonetic loans.

About

The character 着 (zhe) originates from 著, formed as a phono-semantic compound with the grass radical 艹 (cǎo) indicating a connection to vegetation and 者 (zhě) providing the phonetic element. Its early meanings centered on prominence, clear manifestation, or the act of writing. Over time, the sense expanded to include actions like putting on clothes or making physical contact. The pronunciation also diverged, allowing 着 to function grammatically as an aspect particle attached to verbs, marking a continuous or ongoing action similar to the English "-ing" form.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我正拿着书。

Wǒ zhèng ná zhe shū.

I am holding a book.

他笑着对我说。

Tā xiào zhe duì wǒ shuō.

He said to me with a smile.

妈妈忙着准备晚餐。

Māma máng zhe zhǔnbèi wǎncān.

Mom is busy preparing dinner.

我们沿着河边散步。

Wǒmen yán zhe hé biān sànbù.

We are walking along the riverbank.

他躺着看书，不小心睡着了。

Tā tǎng zhe kàn shū, bù xiǎoxīn shuì zháo le.

He was lying down reading a book and accidentally fell asleep.

她着急地等着公交车的到来。

Tā zháojí de děng zhe gōngjiāochē de dàolái.

She is anxiously waiting for the bus to arrive.

尽管下着雨，他还是出去了。

Jǐnguǎn xià zhe yǔ, tā háishì chūqù le.

Even though it was raining, he still went out.

他持续不断地工作着，似乎不知疲倦。

Tā chíxù bùduàn de gōngzuò zhe, sìhū bù zhī píjuàn.

He continues to work incessantly, as if he never gets tired.

Related Characters

Component: 目

Component: 羊

着