着 zhe, zháo
HSK 2 character · 11 strokes · radical 目 · traditional 著
Meanings
- aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state
- to touch
- to come in contact with
- to feel
- to be affected by
- to catch fire
Words with 着
- 着 zhe: aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state
- 着急 zháo jí: to worry; to feel anxious
- 随着 suí zhe: along with
Grammar: Ongoing states with 着
Verb + 着
着 after a verb says that an action, or the state it leaves behind, keeps going: 穿着 is "wearing", 亮着 is "is on". It describes how things are at a moment rather than reporting an event. In words like 着急 and 睡着 the same character is read zháo and is not this particle.
Example sentences
着火了！
Fire!
Tatoeba #1958702 by LanguageExpert (CC BY 2.0 FR)
听着。
Listen.
Tatoeba #5092137 by mirrorvan (CC BY 2.0 FR)
看着我
Look at me.
Tatoeba #12615453 by Enzo (CC BY 2.0 FR)
Meanings and readings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0).