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Level Everyday Chinese · HSK 2

着: Lasting States and Doing Things in a Certain Way

着 (zhe) describes how things are rather than what happens. 门开了 says the door opened (an event). 门开着 says the door is open (a state that continues). That's the main job of 着: freezing an action into a scene.

Its second job is describing manner: 笑着说 is "say, smiling". The verb with 着 is the background, the second verb is the main action.

Verb + 着: a lasting state

Use 着 with verbs whose result can last: open, close, wear, sit, stand, hang, hold. The sentence describes the state, not the moment it began.

  • 门开着。

    Mén kāi zhe.

    The door is open.

  • 他穿着一件红衣服。

    Tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu.

    He's wearing a red top.

  • 她手里拿着一本书。

    Tā shǒu li ná zhe yì běn shū.

    She's holding a book.

  • 灯没开着。

    Dēng méi kāi zhe.

    The light isn't on.

Verb + 着 + verb: how it's done

The first verb, with 着, says the position or manner; the second is the actual action. English often uses "-ing" or "while" for this.

  • 他笑着说：“没关系。”

    Tā xiào zhe shuō: “Méi guānxi.”

    "It's fine," he said with a smile.

  • 我喜欢坐着看书。

    Wǒ xǐhuan zuò zhe kàn shū.

    I like to read sitting down.

  • 我们走着去吧。

    Wǒmen zǒu zhe qù ba.

    Let's walk there.

着 or 在?

在 is about an action that's going on: 他在穿衣服 (he's getting dressed). 着 is about the state that results: 他穿着衣服 (he's got clothes on). The same verb can tell two different stories.

Action in progress (在)Resulting state (着)
穿他在穿衣服。 He's getting dressed.他穿着衣服。 He's dressed.
开他在开门。 He's opening the door.门开着。 The door is open.

Common mistakes

  • ✗门开了着。

    ✓门开着。

    Mén kāi zhe.

    着 and 了 don't combine on one verb: one describes a state, the other an event.

  • ✗他说着笑。 (meaning he said it with a smile)

    ✓他笑着说。

    Tā xiào zhe shuō.

    The manner verb with 着 comes first; the main action comes second.

Questions learners ask

Can 着 go with any verb?

No. It needs a verb that can produce a lasting state or be done in an ongoing way: 开, 关, 穿, 戴, 坐, 站, 拿, 等, 笑. Verbs of instant change like 死 (die) or 到 (arrive) don't take it.

What's 墙上挂着一张地图?

That's the existential pattern, place + verb + 着 + thing: "on the wall hangs a map". It's a B1 point; see the guide on describing scenes.

Practice this in lessons

The Everyday Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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