着 (zhe) — Ongoing State

By the end of this lesson, you will use 着 to describe ongoing states and simultaneous actions, and distinguish it from the completion and experience particles.

What 着 Expresses

着 (zhe — neutral tone) marks an ongoing state or condition — something that is continuing or being maintained. Unlike English "-ing," 着 is not about an action actively in progress; it's about a state that persists after an action has occurred.

Think of it this way: 站 means "to stand." 站着 means "to be in the standing position" — the action of standing happened and the state continues.

Basic Formation

Subject + Verb + 着 (+ Object)

Chinese	Pinyin	English
他站着。	Tā zhàn zhe.	He is standing.
她坐着。	Tā zuò zhe.	She is sitting.
门开着。	Mén kāi zhe.	The door is open (standing open).
灯亮着。	Dēng liàng zhe.	The light is on.
他穿着一件红色的外套。	Tā chuān zhe yī jiàn hóngsè de wàitào.	He is wearing a red coat.
墙上挂着一幅画。	Qiáng shang guà zhe yī fú huà.	A painting is hanging on the wall.

The last two examples show 着 used with objects — describing a state that involves something else.

States vs. Actions

The distinction between 着 and the ongoing action particle (在...呢) is important:

Pattern	Meaning	Example
在 + V (+ 呢)	Actively doing something right now	他在吃饭呢。(He is eating.)
V + 着	A state that persists	他站着。(He is standing.)

• 他在写字。 (Tā zài xiězì.) — He is writing (active process).
• 他拿着一支笔。 (Tā ná zhe yī zhī bǐ.) — He is holding a pen (state of holding).

The V1着V2 Pattern — Simultaneous Actions

This is one of the most useful and distinctly Chinese patterns at A2 level. When two verbs appear with 着 between them, the first verb describes how the second action is performed:

Subject + V1 + 着 + V2

Chinese	Pinyin