着

zháo

HSK 2, 4

着 — zháo

1. to touch; to come in contact with; to feel; to be affected by

   他着了凉，咳嗽了一整天。 tā zhe le liáng késòu le yīzhěngtiān — He caught a cold and coughed all day.

2. to catch fire; to burn

   垃圾堆着了，要赶快扑灭。 lājīduī zhe le yào gǎnkuài pūmiè — The garbage pile caught fire; we must extinguish it quickly.

3. (colloquial) to fall asleep; (after a verb) to hit the mark; to succeed in

   孩子一沾枕头就睡着了。 háizi yī zhān zhěntou jiù shuìzháo le — The child fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

着 — zhe

1. aspect particle indicating a continuous or ongoing state (e.g., 'sitting/doing...')

   他坐着看书。 tā zuò zhe kànshū — He is sitting (there) reading a book.

着 — zhāo

1. a move in chess; a tactic or trick

   棋手用了一个妙着，马上就赢了。 qíshǒu yòng le yígè miàozhāo mǎshàng jiù yíng le — The player used a brilliant move and immediately won.

2. (dialect) to put in; to add; (dialect) okay; all right

   汤里多着一勺糖会更好喝。 tāng lǐ duōzhe yīsháo táng huì gènghǎo hē — Adding another spoon of sugar to the soup will make it taste better.

着 — zhuó

1. to wear (clothes); to contact; to use; to apply

   古时的将军着甲胄出征。 gǔshí de jiāngjūn zhe jiǎzhòu chūzhēng — In ancient times, generals wore armor when going to war.