着呢 (zhe ne) — (suffix) very; greatly (used after adjectives f…

Definition

着呢 (zhe ne) attaches after an adjective to add emphasis with a lively, exclamatory tone — stronger than just "very." It cannot be negated.

suffix

verygreatly (used after adjectives for emphasis, often with a lively tone)

着呢，。
Tā de qián duō zhe ne, gēn běn huā bù wán.
He has so much money, he can't even spend it all.
着呢，。
Zhè jiàn yī fu piào liang zhe ne, wǒ hěn xǐ huan.
This piece of clothing is really pretty — I like it a lot.
着呢，。
Jīn tiān lěng zhe ne, nǐ yào duō chuān yì diǎn.
It's terribly cold today, you need to wear more.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě著zháo

Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

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

口尼呢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

尼

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

呢 combines 口 (mouth) with 尼 as its sound part.

Appears in