3 · Aspect: le, guo, zhe and zai
Zhe: a lasting state, and doing while doing
the durative particle
Zhe after a verb describes the state an action leaves behind — and, before a second verb, the way something is done.
着 after a verb describes a state that lasts: 门开着, “the door is open”, 灯亮着, “the light is on”, 他穿着一件白衬衫, “he is wearing a white shirt”. The opening, the switching on and the putting on are over; what remains is the result, and 着 says that it holds.
This is the clearest line between 着 and 在. 他在穿衣服 is “he is getting dressed” — the action is going on. 他穿着衣服 is “he has clothes on” — the state. English uses “-ing” for both, which is why English speakers reach for 在 where 着 belongs: with wearing, holding, sitting, standing, lying, hanging and being open or closed.
Placed after a first verb, 着 turns it into a description of how the second is done: 她笑着说, “she said with a smile”, 躺着看书, “read lying down”, 走着去, “go on foot”. The main action is the second verb; the first sets the scene.
着 often comes with 呢 at the end (门开着呢), and in a command it tells someone to keep a state up: 你拿着, “hold on to it”, 等着, “wait there”. Watch the character: in 睡着, “fall asleep”, and 着急, “worried”, it is read zháo and is a different word.
The form
| a state that lasts | 门开着。 |
| wearing, holding | 他穿着一件白衬衫。 |
| still holding, with ne | 灯还亮着呢。 |
| negative | 门没开着。 |
| the way a second action is done | 她笑着说。 |
| a command: keep it so | 你拿着。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Zhe after a verb describes the state the action leaves behind, and says that it continues.
窗户开着，有点儿冷。The window is open, and it’s a bit cold.
Wearing, holding, sitting, standing and lying are states, so they take zhe, not zài.
他手里拿着一本书。He is holding a book.
Verb one with zhe, then verb two: the first says how the second is done.
孩子们唱着歌走进了教室。The children walked into the classroom singing.
In a command, zhe tells someone to keep a state up.
你在这儿等着，我马上回来。Wait here — I’ll be right back.
A closer look
Action or state: zài and zhe side by side
Many verbs describe both an action and the state it produces, and the two particles split them neatly. 他在开门: he is opening the door. 门开着: the door stands open. 她在戴帽子: she is putting her hat on. 她戴着帽子: she has her hat on.
With verbs of activity the two can also work together: 外面正下着雨呢, “it is raining outside right now”. Here 着 adds a sense of something that goes on and on, and the sentence reads as a little more descriptive than 在下雨. This is a style choice, not a rule; the state verbs are where 着 is really needed.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the character follows a verb as its result, as in 睡着 or 找着, or begins a word, as in 着急
it is read zháo and means “reach”, “succeed in”, not a lasting state.
孩子终于睡着了。The child has finally fallen asleep.
One character, two words. As a verb, 着 means “to touch, to reach”; it and the particle 着 go back to the same old verb meaning “to attach”. In 睡着了 it says that sleep has been reached: “has fallen asleep”.
How to spot it
- 着
- 着呢
- 着…
Example sentences
墙上挂着一张地图。There is a map hanging on the wall.
她戴着一副眼镜。She is wearing glasses.
他站着吃午饭。He eats his lunch standing up.
我喜欢躺着看书。I like reading lying down.
商店的门还开着呢，我们快去吧。The shop is still open — let’s hurry.
老师笑着说：“没关系。”The teacher said with a smile, “Never mind.”
8 more example sentences
桌子上放着几本杂志。There are a few magazines lying on the table.
他一直看着窗外，一句话也不说。He kept looking out of the window without saying a word.
外面下着大雨。It’s pouring outside.
你拿着这个，别丢了。Hold on to this — don’t lose it.
她哭着跑出了房间。She ran out of the room in tears.
房间里的灯一直亮着。The light in the room stayed on the whole time.
我们走着去吧，不远。Let’s walk there — it isn’t far.
他坐着，我站着。He was sitting and I was standing.
Worth knowing (1)
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Adjective + zhe ne: “and how”
In speech, 着呢 after an adjective means “very, I can tell you”: 远着呢, “it’s a long way”, 早着呢, “there’s plenty of time”. It insists, a little like English “and how”.
去机场远着呢，早点儿走吧。The airport is a long way off — let’s leave early.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
“He is wearing new shoes” describes what he has on — a state. 在穿 means he is in the middle of putting them on. For the state, Chinese uses 着.
Zài: something is going on. Zhe: something stays as it is.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.