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着 (zhe): Ongoing Actions and Lasting States in Chinese

ChinesePath · Updated September 8, 2026

着 zhe, attached right after a verb, marks the continuous aspect: either an action is in progress, or — just as often — the state left behind by an action still holds. It is unstressed (neutral tone) and is one of the three aspect particles of Chinese, next to completed 了 and experiential 过. The state reading is the one English speakers miss most: 门关着 mén guān zhe does not mean someone is busy closing the door — it means the door is closed.

Use 1: action in progress

• 外面下着大雨。Wàimiàn xià zhe dà yǔ. (It's pouring outside.) — the rain is falling now
• 大家听着，我只说一遍。Dàjiā tīng zhe, wǒ zhǐ shuō yī biàn. (Everyone listen — I'll say this once.) — the listening must be actively happening

Use 2: a state that persists

With many verbs, V着 describes the result state of the action continuing:

• 大门关着。Dàmén guān zhe. (The gate is closed.) — not "being closed right now", but standing closed
• 他穿着一件黑西装。Tā chuān zhe yī jiàn hēi xīzhuāng. (He's wearing a black suit.) — the suit is on him; the putting-on happened earlier
• 他拿着一本书。Tā ná zhe yī běn shū. (He's holding a book.)
• 他站着。Tā zhàn zhe. (He's standing.)

This is why 着 is everywhere in scene-setting and existence sentences: 门开着，灯亮着，外面下着雨 (the door open, the lights on, rain falling outside) — three states painted with three 着.

Use 3: V1着 + V2 — doing one thing while doing another

A verb with 着 can serve as the accompanying manner of a main verb:

• 他躺着看书。Tā tǎng zhe kàn shū. (He reads lying down.) — 躺 is the posture, 看 is the main action
• 她笑着走了进来。Tā xiào zhe zǒu le jìnlái. (She walked in smiling.)
• 他站着说话。Tā zhàn zhe shuōhuà. (He talks standing up.)

This V1着V2 pattern is the standard Chinese answer to English "-ing" adverbials ("while lying", "with a smile").

着 vs 在

Both express ongoing action, with a difference in emphasis. 在 before the verb foregrounds "in the middle of doing"; V着 foregrounds continuation, and they can stack:

• 他在吃饭。Tā zài chī fàn. (He is eating.) — progress emphasized
• 他吃着饭呢。Tā chī zhe fàn ne. (He's eating.) — colloquial; sentence-final 呢 often tags along
• 他正在吃着饭。Tā zhèngzài chī zhe fàn. (He is right in the middle of eating.) — both, for emphasis

For a plain state (standing, wearing, holding), only 着 works — 在 is about activity.

Negation

Negate with 没 / 没有, keeping 着:

• 门没开着。Mén méi kāi zhe. (The door isn't open.)
• 他没有站着，坐着呢。Tā méiyǒu zhàn zhe, zuò zhe ne. (He isn't standing — he's sitting.)

The three-way contrast, one more time

• 门关着。(state persisting — the door is shut)
• 他关了门。(completed — he closed it just now)
• 他关过门。(experience — a closing happened at some point; current state unknown)

The full three-particle system is laid out in the article on 了 and the article on 过.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 门关着 mean someone is closing the door?

No — it means the door is closed and stays closed. With many verbs, V着 describes the persisting result state of the action, not the action in progress. The "in progress" reading belongs to action verbs: 下着雨 (it's raining).

What is the difference between 着 and 在?

在 + verb emphasizes an activity in progress (他在吃饭); V着 emphasizes continuation and also covers persisting states (穿着西装 — wearing a suit), which 在 cannot express. They can combine for emphasis: 他正在吃着饭.

What does 躺着看书 literally mean?

"Read while lying down." The pattern V1着 + V2 makes the first verb the posture or manner accompanying the second, main verb: 站着说话 (talk standing), 笑着走进来 (walk in smiling).

How do I negate 着?

With 没 or 没有, and 着 stays: 门没开着 (the door isn't open), 他没有站着 (he isn't standing).

Is 着 always pronounced zhe?

As the aspect particle, yes — neutral-tone zhe. The same character has other readings in other words (such as zháo in 着急 "anxious" and zhuó in formal words); those are different words, not the particle.