整 (zhěng) — whole, entire, complete; in order, orderly

Definition

Use 整 (often as 整个) for 'whole / entire,' overlapping with 全 — 整 focuses on a single undivided thing, while 全 emphasizes 'all of it' or 'every part.' As an adjective, 整 also means 'orderly,' tidied up.

adjective
wholeentirecompletein orderorderly

Examples

  • 整。
    Tā zhěng wǎn dōu zài gōng zuò.
    He worked the whole night.
  • 整。
    zhěng Běn shū wǒ dōu kàn wán le.
    I've finished the entire book.
  • 。
    zhěng Gè chéng shì dōu hěn ān jìng.
    The whole city is very quiet.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
敕敕chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng整zhěng
Same sound today

整 pairs 敕 as the meaning side with 正 as the sound side.

Appears in
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