Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 15

CEFR A2-B1

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Test yourself (21 questions)

The Mandarin Particle 着 (zhe): States That Continue

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

(zhe) after a verb says a state is holding: (mén kāi zhe), the door is open. Someone opened it, and it stays that way. An action under way is (zài) instead: (tā zài kāi mén), he's opening the door. (zhe) has no tone and goes straight after the verb.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. mén bù kāi zhe 。

  2. tā zhe chuān yí jiàn hóng yī fu 。

  3. tā zhe xiào shuō ： nǐ hǎo ！

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

着 zhe (a state that holds)What do the colours mean?

One idea, five uses: whatever the verb did, its state lasts.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Mén kāi zhe.The door is open
。Tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu.He's wearing a red top
。Tā xiào zhe shuō.She said with a smile
。Qiáng shang guà zhe yì fú huà.There's a painting on the wall
。Nǐ děng zhe.You wait here
Subject
Verb
着
The rest
empty

A state that holds

着 zhe (a state that holds)What do the colours mean?

Many verbs name a quick action that leaves a lasting result: open, switch on, put on, shut. (zhe) reports that the result is still there:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Mén kāi zhe.The door is open
。Dēng kāi zhe.The light is on
。Chuānghu guān zhe.The window is shut
。Tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu.He's wearing a red top
。Tā dài zhe màozi.She's wearing a hat
Four panels: a man with a moustache in sunglasses holds an ice cream under a grinning sun (sunny); a woman with a bob and a bow stands under a red umbrella in the rain by a puddle (rainy); a girl with pigtails wears a woolly hat and a scarf in the snow (snowy); a woman holds her head as the wind blows her long hair sideways and leaves fly past (windy).
  1. 镜jìng

戴着墨镜 (dài zhe mòjìng): wearing sunglasses. 打着伞 (dǎ zhe sǎn): holding an umbrella. 戴着帽子 (dài zhe màozi): wearing a hat.

Clothes and shoes are (chuān); hats, glasses and other things you put on are (dài).

着 (zhe) or 在 (zài): a state or an action?

着 zhe (a state that holds)在 zài (an action under way)What do the colours mean?

English "-ing" covers both, which is the trap. "He's wearing" is a state; "he's putting on" is an action:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā zài chuān yīfu.He's getting dressed
。Tā chuān zhe yīfu.He's got clothes on
。Tā zài kāi mén.He's opening the door
。Mén kāi zhe.The door is open

(zài) goes before the verb, (zhe) after it. With a verb that lasts anyway, such as (xià yǔ), rain, both work: (wàimian zài xià yǔ) reports that it's raining outside, while (wàimian xià zhe yǔ) describes the scene, as a story would.

着 (zhe) or 了 (le): holding or changed?

着 zhe (a state that holds)了 le (something happened)What do the colours mean?

(le) reports the event; (zhe) reports the state it leaves:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Mén kāi le.The door's opened (it was shut)
。Mén kāi zhe.The door is open
。Tā chuān le yí jiàn hóng yīfu.He put on a red top
。Tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu.He's wearing a red top

(mén kāi le) is news: it was shut, and now it isn't. (mén kāi zhe) is a description: that is how the door is.

Saying it isn't so: 没 (méi)

着 zhe (a state that holds)没 méi (not)What do the colours mean?

A state that doesn't hold takes (méi), and the (zhe) usually drops:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Mén méi kāi.The door isn't open
。Dēng méi kāi.The light isn't on
。Tā méi dài màozi.She hasn't got a hat on

The (zhe) can stay, as in (mén méi kāi zhe), but the short form is the usual one. (bù) does not deny a state that is holding now: is wrong as a description of the door.

Doing one thing while doing another: verb + 着 (zhe) + verb

着 zhe (a state that holds)What do the colours mean?

(zhe) on the first verb makes it the background to the second. The second verb is the main action; the first is how you are while you do it:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā xiào zhe shuō.She said with a smile
。Tā ná zhe shū zǒu jìnlái le.He came in holding a book
。Bié tǎng zhe kàn shū.Don't read lying down
。Wǒmen zǒu zhe qù ba.Let's walk there
Subject
Verb 1 + 着 (how)
Verb 2 (the main action)

Setting a scene: place + verb + 着 (zhe) + thing

着 zhe (a state that holds)What do the colours mean?

To say what is where, start with the place, then the verb with (zhe), then the thing. The thing is usually new to the listener: a painting, two people, a cat.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Qiáng shang guà zhe yì fú huà.There's a painting on the wall
。Ménkǒu zhàn zhe liǎng ge rén.Two people are standing at the door
。Chuáng shang tǎng zhe yì zhī māo.There's a cat lying on the bed
。Zhuōzi shang fàng zhe hěn duō shū.There are lots of books on the table
Place
Verb + 着
Thing (new)

Commands that last: 等着 (děng zhe), 拿着 (ná zhe)

着 zhe (a state that holds)What do the colours mean?

In a command, (zhe) asks for a state to be kept up rather than a single act:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Nǐ děng zhe.Wait here (or, as a threat: just you wait!)
。Ná zhe.Here, take this
！Tīng zhe!Listen!

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。for "he's opening the door": an action takes (zài)
。。a state that doesn't hold takes (méi)
。。 (zhe) goes straight after the verb
。。in a scene, the new thing goes last

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Describe your room: … (zhuōzi shang fàng zhe…), … (qiáng shang guà zhe…).
  3. Then compare (le), (guo), (zài) and (zhe) side by side on aspect markers.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

A state that holds, or an action under way?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the word for each gap.

Coming home

我回到家，门开，灯也开。妈妈做饭。她笑说：你回来！

Gap 1 of 5

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. mén bù kāi zhe 。

  2. tā zhe chuān yí jiàn hóng yī fu 。

  3. tā zhe xiào shuō ： nǐ hǎo ！

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. There's a cat lying on the bed.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. He came in holding a book.

    Your sentence is empty.

Matching

0/5

Match each sentence to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What does (zhe) mean in Mandarin?
It marks a state that holds after an action: (mén kāi zhe), the door is open; (tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu), he's wearing a red top. It has no tone and goes straight after the verb.
What is the difference between (zhe) and (zài)?
(zài) before a verb says an action is under way: (tā zài chuān yīfu), he's getting dressed. (zhe) after a verb says the state it leaves is holding: (tā chuān zhe yīfu), he's got clothes on.
How do you say 'doing one thing while doing another' with (zhe)?
Verb 1 + + verb 2. The first verb is the background, the second the main action: (tā xiào zhe shuō), she said with a smile; (wǒmen zǒu zhe qù ba), let's walk there.
How do you make a sentence with (zhe) negative?
With (méi), and the usually drops: (mén méi kāi), the door isn't open. (bù) does not negate a state that is holding now: is wrong.
What does mean?
There's a painting hanging on the wall. Place + verb + (zhe) + thing is how Mandarin describes what is where: (chuáng shang tǎng zhe yì zhī māo), there's a cat lying on the bed.