整理 (zhěng lǐ) — to arrange, to tidy up, to sort out

Definition

整理 is the everyday word for tidying, arranging, or sorting things out (a room, files, data). More neutral and general than 收拾, which leans toward cleaning/putting-things-away in daily life.

verb
to arrangeto tidy upto sort out

Examples

  • 整理。
    Qǐng bǎ shū zhěng lǐ hǎo.
    Please arrange the books neatly.
  • 整理。
    Tā zhèng zài zhěng lǐ fáng jiān.
    He is tidying up the room.
  • 整理。
    Wǒ huā le yí gè xiǎo shí zhěng lǐ zī liào.
    I spent an hour sorting out the materials.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

整zhěngput in order
理lǐsort out

“整” and “理” both involve putting things in order, so together they mean to arrange or tidy.

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.

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.

Open 整 →

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ理lǐ
Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Open 理 →
Appears in
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