▎著, zhe, (Ptc), ongoing, continuative action, in the state of V＋ing (1)

 

Function When the particle 著 is added to an action verb, it means the activity is ongoing, is being engaged, e.g.,

1 他在門口等著你，你快去吧。

Tā zài ménkǒu děngzhe nǐ, nǐ kuài qù ba.

He’s waiting for you at the door. Please hurry!

2 小李拿著一杯冰咖啡。

Xiǎo Lǐ názhe yì bēi bīng kāfēi.

Xiao Li is holding a glass of iced coffee in his hand.

3 他看著我，什麼也沒說。

Tā kànzhe wǒ, shénme yě méi shuō.

He just stared at me, without uttering a word.

 

Structures The verb taking 著 is usually monosyllabic, and negation precedes the verb, e.g.,

 

Negation：

1 你不要一直坐著。我們去運動吧！

Nǐ bú yào yìzhí zuòzhe. Wǒmen qù yùndòng ba!

Don’t just sit around all day. Let’s get out and do some exercise!

2 你別帶著咖啡到圖書館去。裡面不能喝東西。

Nǐ bié dàizhe kāfēi dào túshūguǎn qù. Lǐmiàn bù néng hē dōngxi.

Don’t bring your coffee into the library. You are not allowed to drink it there.

3 那裡的小巷子這麼多。要是我沒帶著地圖，一定會迷路。

Nàlǐ de xiǎo xiàngzi zhème duō. Yàoshi wǒ méi dàizhe dìtú, yídìng huì mílù.

There are so many small alleys. If I hadn’t brought a map with me, I would have gotten lost.

Questions：

1 小陳是不是載著美美到圖書館去了？

Xiǎo Chén shìbúshì zàizhe Měiměi dào túshūguǎn qù le?

Did Xiao Chen take Meimei with him to the library?

2 他生病了。是不是有人陪著他？

Tā shēngbìng le. Shìbúshì yǒu rén péizhe tā?

He’s sick. Is there somebody staying with him?

3 他是不是一直在學校門口等著他媽媽？

Tā shìbúshì yìzhí zài xuéxiào ménkǒu děngzhe tā māma?

Has he been waiting for his mother outside the school entrance this whole time?

 

Usage 著zhe vs. 在zài Though both 著 and 在 can be interpreted in terms of V＋ing. 著 is static while 在 is dynamic. ‘standing’ is static. ‘Eating’ is dynamic. ‘Putting on 在穿zài chuān’ is dynamic, and ‘wearing 穿著chuānzhe’ is static. (See 在(3)).