Aspect particle "zhe"

The particle 着 (zhe) is one way of indicating the continuous aspect in Mandarin Chinese (another common way is using the adverb 在 in front of verbs). You may have heard that the Chinese particle 着 added onto the end of verbs is similar to the use of -ing in English. This isn't particularly helpful, however, because the use of 着 in Chinese is not nearly so frequent, and can also be quite idiomatic.

Basic Usage

Structure

Verb + 着

Examples

• 我 读 ，你 听 着 。Wǒ dú, nǐ tīng zhe.I'll read the letter, and you will listen.
• 我们 做 ，你们 看 着 。Wǒmen zuò, nǐmen kàn zhe.We will do it, and you will watch.
• 你们 坐 着 ，哪儿 都 别 去 。Nǐmen zuò zhe, nǎr dōu bié qù.You sit here. Don't go anywhere else.
• 我 出去 一下 ，你 帮 我 看 着 行李 。Wǒ chūqù yīxià, nǐ bāng wǒ kān zhe xíngli.I'll go out for a second, and you watch the luggage for me.

Used for Continuous State

While it's true that the "full progressive pattern" can make use of 着, this is not a pattern you're going to want to use all the time. The most commonly used verbs are the ones below:

Verb + 着	Explanation
开 着	开 (kāi) alone can mean "to open" or "to turn on." Adding 着 allows one to express that something "is open" or "is on.".
关 着	关 (guān) alone can mean "to close" or "to turn off." Adding 着 allows one to express that something "is closed" or "is off."
穿 着	穿 (chuān) alone means "to wear." Adding 着 allows one to express that one "is wearing" or "has" something (on one's person).
戴 着	戴 (dài) alone means "to wear." Adding 着 allows one to express that one "is wearing" or "has" something (on one's person).
躺 着	躺 (tǎng) alone means "to lie on one's back." Adding 着 allows one to express that someone "is lying down."

Examples

• 家里 的 灯 开 着 。 Jiālǐ de dēng kāi zhe."Being on" is a state, so using 着 is natural.)
• 家里 灯 在 开 。 Jiālǐ de dēng zài kāi."Being on" is not an action, so don't use 在.)

• 公司 的 门 开 着 ，可是 没 人 在 。Gōngsī de mén kāi zhe, kěshì méi rén zài."Being on" is a state, so using 着 is natural.)
• 公司 的 门 在 开 ，可是 没 人 在 。Gōngsī de mén zài kāi, kěshì méi rén zài."Being open" is not an action, so don't use 在.)

• 他 戴 着 眼镜 。Tā dài zhe yǎnjìng."Having his glasses (on him)" is a state, so using 着 is natural.)
• 他 在 戴 眼镜 。Tā zài dài yǎnjìng."Having his glasses (on him)" is not an action, so don't use 在.)

• 她 穿 着 一 条 小 黑 裙 。Tā chuān zhe yī tiáo xiǎo hēi qún."Be wearing" is a state, so using 着 is natural.)
• 她 在 穿 一 条 小 黑 裙 。Tā zài chuān yī tiáo xiǎo hēi qún."Be wearing" is not an action, so don't use 在.)

• 躺 着 最 舒服 。Tǎng zhe zuì shūfu."Lying here" is a state, so using 着 is natural.)
• 在 躺 最 舒服 。Zài tǎng zuì shūfu ."Lying here" is not strictly an action, so don't use 在.)

Used for a Certain Way of Doing Things

If you do an action while in a particular state, you can make use of this pattern:

Structure

Verb 1 + 着 + Verb 2

Note that the first verb (followed by 着) describes the state; the second verb is the action verb. In this case, the "-ing" translation can be useful.

Examples

• 她 喜欢 站 着 吃饭 。Tā xǐhuan zhàn zhe chīfàn. "standing + eat = eating while standing"
• 我 不 喜欢 听 着 音乐 做 作业 。Wǒ bù xǐhuan tīng zhe yīnyuè zuò zuòyè. "listening to music + do homework = listening to music while doing homework
• 他 笑 着 说 “对不起” 。Tā xiào zhe shuō "duìbuqǐ". "smiling + say = saying "I'm sorry" while smiling

Note: If you want to make a sentence where both verbs are action verbs (neither is truly a state), then you don't want this pattern, you want 一边⋯⋯，一边⋯⋯.

着 Used Idiomatically

Certain verbs tend to take 着 more frequently than others, and exactly what the 着 is doing might not be apparent at all. It's best to think of these usages as colloquialisms. You can even think of them as set phrases.

Examples

着 Used Idiomatically

Verb + 着	Explanation	Example
听 着	"to listen to" (essentially the same as 听)	你 听 着。Nǐ tīng zhe.
拿 着	"to hold" (essentially the same as 拿)	这个 你 拿 着。Zhège nǐ ná zhe.
等 着	"to wait" (essentially the same as 等)	你们 等 着 ！Nǐmen děng zhe!

There's also one colloquial usage of 着 that's been chosen by at least one textbook for special treatment, so we'll cover it here as well:

Verb + 着 + 玩 + 的

This pattern may look like that "doing an action in a particular state" pattern already covered above, but in practice it doesn't really work that way. It just means "[Verb] for fun" or "[Verb] as a joke."

Examples of this usage:

• 我 不 是 认真 的 ，我 是 闹 着 玩 的 。Wǒ bùshì rènzhēn de, wǒ shì nào zhe wá de.I'm not very serious, I like to have a lot of fun.
• 我 听不懂 英文 歌 ，只 是 听 着 玩 的 。Wǒ tīng bù dǒng Yīngwén gē, zhǐshì tīng zhe wán de.I don't understand English songs. I just listen for fun.
• 你 不要 生气 ，我 是 说 着 玩 的 ！Nǐ bùyào shēngqì, wǒ gāngcái shì shuō zhe wán de!Don't be mad.I was just joking.

See also

• Expressing actions in progress
• Expressing actions in progress (full form)

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 414 - 423) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 89) →buy
• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 217 - 225) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 242-3) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (p. 17) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 238-9) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 255)→buy

Websites

• About.com: Mandarin Chinese Aspect
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The 着 (zhe) Chronicles: How We Verb (free content)
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The 着 (zhe) Chronicles: Actions in Progress (free content)
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The 着 (zhe) Chronicles: Verbs as States (free content)