noun / bound morpheme HSK 4
zhèng
government · politics · political affairs

Meaning

is a fundamental character meaning government or politics. It rarely appears alone in modern Mandarin and typically combines with other characters to form compound words related to governance, administration, and political matters.

Usage

In contemporary Chinese, almost always appears as part of compound words like 府 (government), 治 (politics), or 行 (administration). As a standalone character, it appears mainly in formal written contexts or classical expressions. Native speakers understand it independently but naturally use it in compounds in daily speech.

Examples

  1. 01
    这项策对经济发展很有帮助。
    Zhè xiàng zhèng duì jīng zhǎn hěn yǒu bāng zhù.
    This policy is very helpful for economic development.
  2. 02
    他一直关心国家的治和经济问题。
    zhí guān xīn guó jiā de zhèng zhì jīng wèn .
    He has always been concerned about the country's political and economic issues.

Common collocations

  • zhèng
    policy
  • zhèng quán
    political power, regime
  • cān zhèng
    to participate in politics
  • shī zhèng
    to administer, governance

Origin

The character combines 正 (zhèng, correct/upright) and 攵 (strike/action radical), originally suggesting the idea of correct action or rectifying administration. In ancient texts, it represented the act of governing correctly.

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