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笑着说)",null,{"type":48,"value":49,"toc":636},"minimark",[50,55,59,65,117,120,124,127,176,179,182,203,206,210,213,219,275,278,282,289,336,339,343,346,380,383,387,390,435,444,448,451,490,493,497,553,557,590,594,626],[51,52,54],"h2",{"id":53},"the-principle-a-state-that-persists","The principle: a state that persists",[56,57,58],"p",{},"着 attaches to a verb and says the resulting STATE continues. The action may have happened in an instant, but its effect lingers, and 着 holds that lingering state in view.",[56,60,61],{},[62,63,64],"strong",{},"verb + 着",[66,67,68,80,90,99,108],"ul",{},[69,70,71,72,75,76,79],"li",{},"门开",[62,73,74],{},"着","。 (Mén kāi zhe.) - ",[62,77,78],{},"The door is open."," (Someone opened it; it stays open.)",[69,81,82,83,85,86,89],{},"灯亮",[62,84,74],{},"。 (Dēng liàng zhe.) - ",[62,87,88],{},"The light is on."," (It was switched on; it stays on.)",[69,91,92,93,95,96],{},"窗户关",[62,94,74],{},"。 (Chuāng hu guān zhe.) - ",[62,97,98],{},"The window is shut.",[69,100,101,102,104,105],{},"他穿",[62,103,74],{},"一件红衣服。 (Tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yī fu.) - ",[62,106,107],{},"He's wearing a red shirt.",[69,109,110,111,113,114],{},"桌子上放",[62,112,74],{},"一本书。 (Zhuō zi shàng fàng zhe yì běn shū.) - ",[62,115,116],{},"There's a book lying on the table.",[56,118,119],{},"The key word is STATE. 开 (open) is over in a moment, but 开着 reports that the door is, right now, in the open condition. Think of 着 as a freeze-frame held on the result.",[51,121,123],{"id":122},"着-versus-在-正在-state-continuing-versus-action-in-progress","着 versus 在 \u002F 正在: state continuing versus action in progress",[56,125,126],{},"This is the distinction to nail. Both describe something ongoing, but they describe different KINDS of ongoing.",[66,128,129,135,140,151,160,169],{},[69,130,131,134],{},[62,132,133],{},"在 \u002F 正在"," = an ACTION is unrolling. Something is actively happening, moment by moment.",[69,136,137,139],{},[62,138,74],{}," = a STATE is persisting. Something is sitting in a condition that holds steady.",[69,141,142,143,146,147,150],{},"他",[62,144,145],{},"在","穿衣服。 (Tā zài chuān yī fu.) - ",[62,148,149],{},"He's getting dressed."," (Action: the putting-on is happening.)",[69,152,101,153,155,156,159],{},[62,154,74],{},"衣服。 (Tā chuān zhe yī fu.) - ",[62,157,158],{},"He's wearing clothes."," (State: the wearing holds.)",[69,161,142,162,164,165,168],{},[62,163,145],{},"开门。 (Tā zài kāi mén.) - ",[62,166,167],{},"He's opening the door."," (Action: he is in the act.)",[69,170,71,171,75,173,175],{},[62,172,74],{},[62,174,78],{}," (State: it stands open.)",[56,177,178],{},"The contrast is clearest with verbs that name a quick action with a lasting result: 穿 (put on \u002F wear), 开 (open), 关 (close), 戴 (put on \u002F wear, for hats and accessories), 挂 (hang). 在 catches the brief action; 着 holds the long state that follows.",[56,180,181],{},"Where do they overlap? With activity verbs that are themselves drawn-out, both can describe the same scene from slightly different angles, and they often appear together.",[66,183,184,195],{},[69,185,186,187,190,191,194],{},"外面",[62,188,189],{},"正下着","雨。 (Wài miàn zhèng xià zhe yǔ.) - ",[62,192,193],{},"It's raining outside."," (正 + 着 together: the raining is going on and the state holds.)",[69,196,142,197,199,200,202],{},[62,198,145],{},"笑",[62,201,74],{},"。 - both the action (在) and the persisting state (着) of smiling can co-occur.",[56,204,205],{},"For 'it's raining', the everyday choice is 在下雨 (Zài xià yǔ), the action-in-progress form. 下着雨 on its own is more descriptive, the sort of thing you find in narration ('rain was falling') rather than a plain answer to 'what's the weather doing?'. When in doubt for a live action, use 在; reserve 着 for when you are describing a state or a backdrop.",[51,207,209],{"id":208},"v1着-v2-doing-one-thing-while-doing-another","V1着 V2: doing one thing while doing another",[56,211,212],{},"This is where 着 earns its keep in everyday speech. Put 着 on a first verb to turn it into the MANNER or accompanying state of a second verb. The first action is the backdrop; the second is the main event.",[56,214,215,218],{},[62,216,217],{},"V1 + 着 + V2"," = do V2 while in the state of V1 \u002F do V2 by means of V1",[66,220,221,230,238,247,256,266],{},[69,222,223,224,226,227],{},"站",[62,225,74],{},"说话 (zhàn zhe shuō huà) - ",[62,228,229],{},"speak while standing",[69,231,199,232,234,235],{},[62,233,74],{},"说 (xiào zhe shuō) - ",[62,236,237],{},"say with a smile",[69,239,240,241,243,244],{},"躺",[62,242,74],{},"看书 (tǎng zhe kàn shū) - ",[62,245,246],{},"read lying down",[69,248,249,250,252,253],{},"他拿",[62,251,74],{},"书走进来。 (Tā ná zhe shū zǒu jìn lái.) - ",[62,254,255],{},"He came in holding a book.",[69,257,258,259,261,262,265],{},"我们走",[62,260,74],{},"去吧。 (Wǒ men zǒu zhe qù ba.) - ",[62,263,264],{},"Let's go on foot."," (Go in the state of walking.)",[69,267,268,269,271,272],{},"别躺",[62,270,74],{},"玩手机。 (Bié tǎng zhe wán shǒu jī.) - ",[62,273,274],{},"Don't lie there playing on your phone.",[56,276,277],{},"The first verb sets the posture, the tool, or the accompanying state; the second carries the real action. 拿着书 ('holding a book') is not the point of the sentence - 走进来 ('came in') is - but the holding colours how it happened. This is one of the most natural-sounding patterns you can master, and it instantly lifts your Chinese above the choppy one-clause-at-a-time stage.",[51,279,281],{"id":280},"着-in-existential-and-descriptive-sentences","着 in existential and descriptive sentences",[56,283,284,285,288],{},"着 is the workhorse of scene-setting. To say something exists somewhere in a particular arrangement, Mandarin uses the pattern ",[62,286,287],{},"place + verb + 着 + thing",". This describes what is THERE and how it sits.",[66,290,291,300,309,318,327],{},[69,292,293,294,296,297],{},"墙上挂",[62,295,74],{},"一幅画。 (Qiáng shàng guà zhe yì fú huà.) - ",[62,298,299],{},"A painting hangs on the wall.",[69,301,302,303,305,306],{},"门口站",[62,304,74],{},"两个人。 (Mén kǒu zhàn zhe liǎng ge rén.) - ",[62,307,308],{},"Two people are standing at the door.",[69,310,311,312,314,315],{},"桌子上摆",[62,313,74],{},"很多菜。 (Zhuō zi shàng bǎi zhe hěn duō cài.) - ",[62,316,317],{},"The table is laid with lots of dishes.",[69,319,320,321,323,324],{},"床上躺",[62,322,74],{},"一只猫。 (Chuáng shàng tǎng zhe yì zhī māo.) - ",[62,325,326],{},"A cat is lying on the bed.",[69,328,329,330,332,333],{},"外面停",[62,331,74],{},"一辆车。 (Wài miàn tíng zhe yí liàng chē.) - ",[62,334,335],{},"There's a car parked outside.",[56,337,338],{},"Notice the order: the LOCATION comes first as the topic, then the verb-着, then the thing, which is usually indefinite ('a painting', 'two people', 'a cat'). This is the natural way to paint a static scene in Chinese, and you will meet it constantly in descriptive writing and in spoken descriptions of rooms, streets and photographs.",[51,340,342],{"id":341},"negation-没-not-不-and-dropping-着","Negation: 没 (not 不) and dropping 着",[56,344,345],{},"To say a state is NOT holding, use 没 (méi) before the verb, and in the negative the 着 typically drops away.",[66,347,348,358,371],{},[69,349,350,351,354,355],{},"门",[62,352,353],{},"没","开。 (Mén méi kāi.) - ",[62,356,357],{},"The door isn't open.",[69,359,360,361,363,364,366,367,370],{},"灯",[62,362,353],{},"亮",[62,365,74],{},"。 (Dēng méi liàng zhe.) - ",[62,368,369],{},"The light isn't on."," (着 may stay for the persisting-state reading, but is often dropped: 灯没亮.)",[69,372,373,374,376,377],{},"墙上",[62,375,353],{},"挂画。 (Qiáng shàng méi guà huà.) - ",[62,378,379],{},"There's no painting on the wall.",[56,381,382],{},"The crucial rule: do NOT use 不. ✗ 门不开着 is wrong as a description of the door's current state. (不开 on its own means 'won't open' or 'doesn't open', a different idea about refusal or habit, not a present state.) Because 着 reports an actual state of affairs, its negation is the reality-denying 没, exactly as with 了 and the resultative complements. If a state is not the case, you say it 没 happened or 没 holds.",[51,384,386],{"id":385},"why-着-attaches-a-state-not-a-completion-着-versus-了","Why 着 attaches a state, not a completion: 着 versus 了",[56,388,389],{},"It is worth pinning down the contrast with 了, because the two attach to verbs in similar positions but mean opposite things about time.",[66,391,392,398,403,412,419,428],{},[69,393,394,397],{},[62,395,396],{},"了"," marks a CHANGE or COMPLETION - something happened, something is now done or different.",[69,399,400,402],{},[62,401,74],{}," marks CONTINUATION - something is, and stays, in a condition.",[69,404,71,405,407,408,411],{},[62,406,396],{},"。 (Mén kāi le.) - ",[62,409,410],{},"The door opened \u002F has opened."," (Change: it went from shut to open.)",[69,413,71,414,75,416,418],{},[62,415,74],{},[62,417,78],{}," (State: it stands open, no change reported.)",[69,420,101,421,423,424,427],{},[62,422,396],{},"一件红衣服。 (Tā chuān le yí jiàn hóng yī fu.) - ",[62,425,426],{},"He put on a red shirt."," (The act of putting on.)",[69,429,101,430,104,432,434],{},[62,431,74],{},[62,433,107],{}," (The state of being dressed in it.)",[56,436,437,438,443],{},"了 reports the event; 着 reports the resulting state holding still. 门开了 tells you the door changed; 门开着 tells you the door simply is open right now. This is why 着 never carries the 'it's done' flavour of 了 - its whole job is to say the situation persists, unfinished and ongoing as a state. For the full behaviour of 了, 在\u002F正在 and 过, see ",[439,440,442],"a",{"href":441},"\u002Fmandarin\u002Fgrammar\u002Faspect-markers","aspect markers",".",[51,445,447],{"id":446},"imperative-softeners-听着-看着","Imperative softeners: 听着, 看着",[56,449,450],{},"着 also tags onto a few verbs in commands to mean 'keep doing this \u002F stay in this state', which softens or steadies the instruction.",[66,452,453,462,471,481],{},[69,454,455,456,458,459],{},"听",[62,457,74],{},"！ (Tīng zhe!) - ",[62,460,461],{},"Listen (and keep listening) \u002F now hear this.",[69,463,464,465,467,468],{},"看",[62,466,74],{},"点儿。 (Kàn zhe diǎnr.) - ",[62,469,470],{},"Keep an eye out \u002F watch yourself.",[69,472,473,474,476,477,480],{},"你等",[62,475,74],{},"。 (Nǐ děng zhe.) - ",[62,478,479],{},"You wait (here)."," (Sometimes a mild threat: 'you just wait'.)",[69,482,483,484,486,487],{},"拿",[62,485,74],{},"。 (Ná zhe.) - ",[62,488,489],{},"Here, hold this \u002F take it.",[56,491,492],{},"The sense is 'stay in this state', 'keep this up'. It is gentler and more sustained than a bare command, because 着 stretches the action out into an ongoing condition rather than a single sharp order.",[51,494,496],{"id":495},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[66,498,499,508,517,526,535,544],{},[69,500,501,502,504,505],{},"她戴",[62,503,74],{},"一副眼镜。 (Tā dài zhe yí fù yǎn jìng.) - ",[62,506,507],{},"She's wearing a pair of glasses.",[69,509,510,511,513,514],{},"他低",[62,512,74],{},"头，一句话也不说。 (Tā dī zhe tóu, yí jù huà yě bù shuō.) - ",[62,515,516],{},"He kept his head down and didn't say a word.",[69,518,519,520,522,523],{},"大家都坐",[62,521,74],{},"，没人站起来。 (Dà jiā dōu zuò zhe, méi rén zhàn qǐ lái.) - ",[62,524,525],{},"Everyone was sitting; nobody stood up.",[69,527,528,529,531,532],{},"锅里煮",[62,530,74],{},"汤。 (Guō lǐ zhǔ zhe tāng.) - ",[62,533,534],{},"There's soup cooking in the pot.",[69,536,537,538,540,541],{},"他开",[62,539,74],{},"车打电话，太危险了。 (Tā kāi zhe chē dǎ diàn huà, tài wēi xiǎn le.) - ",[62,542,543],{},"He was on the phone while driving, far too dangerous.",[69,545,546,547,549,550],{},"门口的灯整夜亮",[62,548,74],{},"。 (Mén kǒu de dēng zhěng yè liàng zhe.) - ",[62,551,552],{},"The light at the door stayed on all night.",[51,554,556],{"id":555},"common-mistakes","Common mistakes",[558,559,560,566,572,578,584],"ol",{},[69,561,562,565],{},[62,563,564],{},"Using 着 for an action in progress."," 'He's opening the door' is 他在开门, not 他开着门 (which is 'with the door open'). Use 在\u002F正在 for the live action, 着 for the resulting state.",[69,567,568,571],{},[62,569,570],{},"Negating with 不."," ✗ 门不开着. A state that doesn't hold takes 没: 门没开.",[69,573,574,577],{},[62,575,576],{},"Forcing 着 onto verbs with no lasting state."," Quick, result-only verbs like 死 (die) or 来 (come) don't take 着. 着 needs an action whose effect can persist.",[69,579,580,583],{},[62,581,582],{},"Confusing 开了 with 开着."," 开了 = the door opened (change); 开着 = the door is open (state).",[69,585,586,589],{},[62,587,588],{},"Reaching for 着 to translate every English '-ing'."," English '-ing' covers both progressive action (use 在) and continuing state (use 着). Decide which one you mean first.",[51,591,593],{"id":592},"what-to-drill","What to drill",[558,595,596,602,608,614,620],{},[69,597,598,601],{},[62,599,600],{},"Feel state versus action."," 着 = stays in a condition; 在\u002F正在 = action unrolling. 门开着 vs 他在开门.",[69,603,604,607],{},[62,605,606],{},"Master V1着 V2."," 站着说话, 笑着说, 拿着书走进来 - one state, then the main action.",[69,609,610,613],{},[62,611,612],{},"Use the existential frame."," 墙上挂着一幅画: place + verb着 + indefinite thing, to set a scene.",[69,615,616,619],{},[62,617,618],{},"Negate with 没, drop the 着."," 门没开, not 门不开着.",[69,621,622,625],{},[62,623,624],{},"Keep 着 and 了 apart."," 着 = state continues; 了 = change or completion.",[56,627,628,629,631,632,443],{},"For the rest of the aspect system - the completion and change-of-state 了, the action-in-progress 在\u002F正在, and the experiential 过 - see ",[439,630,442],{"href":441},". For how 着 fits into Mandarin's broader word order, see the ",[439,633,635],{"href":634},"\u002Fmandarin\u002Fgrammar\u002Fword-order","word-order page",{"title":637,"searchDepth":638,"depth":638,"links":639},"",2,[640,641,642,643,644,645,646,647,648,649],{"id":53,"depth":638,"text":54},{"id":122,"depth":638,"text":123},{"id":208,"depth":638,"text":209},{"id":280,"depth":638,"text":281},{"id":341,"depth":638,"text":342},{"id":385,"depth":638,"text":386},{"id":446,"depth":638,"text":447},{"id":495,"depth":638,"text":496},{"id":555,"depth":638,"text":556},{"id":592,"depth":638,"text":593},"B1-B2","The durative aspect particle 着 (zhe) explained. V着 marks a continuing state rather than a finished action (门开着 the door is open, 他穿着红衣服 he's wearing red), how it differs from the action-in-progress 在\u002F正在, the V1着 V2 'while doing' pattern (站着说话), 着 in existential sentences (墙上挂着一幅画), why negation takes 没 not 不, and why 着 attaches a state rather than a completion.","md","higher","Of Mandarin's aspect particles, 着 (zhe) is the one English speakers most often skip, because English has no neat equivalent. It does not mark an action being done; it marks a STATE that is hanging around. 门开着 (mén kāi zhe) does not mean 'the door is being opened' - it means the door is open and STAYS open. 他穿着一件红衣服 means he is in a red shirt, the wearing persisting as a state, not 'he is in the act of putting on a shirt'. The classic confusion is with 在 \u002F 正在, which mark an action in progress, and the two genuinely overlap in some sentences while diverging sharply in others. Once you feel the difference between an action unrolling (在下雨, it's raining) and a state persisting (门开着, the door stands open), 着 stops being mysterious and starts doing real work: describing scenes, stacking one action onto another, and softening commands. This page assumes you already know 了, 在\u002F正在 and 过 from the [aspect markers page](\u002Fmandarin\u002Fgrammar\u002Faspect-markers); here we focus purely on 着.","mandarin",{},"\u002Fmandarin\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdurative-zhe",{"title":45,"description":651},"mandarin\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdurative-zhe","tzBj771FIveKvbR8MoHt9oIyEaZpLR8hPDutYYm1M_4",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":663},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":665},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":667},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Crect width=\"18\" height=\"18\" x=\"3\" y=\"3\" rx=\"2\" ry=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Ccircle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m21 15l-3.086-3.086a2 2 0 0 0-2.828 0L6 21\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":669},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M6 22a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h8a2.4 2.4 0 0 1 1.704.706l3.588 3.588A2.4 2.4 0 0 1 20 8v12a2 2 0 0 1-2 2z\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M14 2v5a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h5M10 9H8m8 4H8m8 4H8\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",1]