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治 (zhì) — to govern, to rule; to treat (a disease); to control, to harness (a river, a pest)

Definition

治 (zhì) covers both 'govern/rule a country' and 'treat/control (disease, pests, rivers)' — the abstract noun form 治理 focuses on administration. Distinguish from 统治 (political rule over people).

verb
to governto ruleto treat (a disease)to controlto harness (a river, a pest)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Tā shàn yú zhì guó.
    He is good at governing the country.
  • 治。
    Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ zhì gǎn mào.
    This medicine can treat colds.
  • 治。
    Tā men zhì chóng hěn yǒu bàn fǎ.
    They have effective ways to control pests.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái治zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Government & PoliticsMedicine & Treatment3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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