处 (chǔ) · to reside; to live; to dwell

Meanings

1 to reside; to live; to dwell
2 to be situated at; to be in (a state)
3 to get along with
4 to handle; to deal with
5 to punish; to discipline

Characters

处

chǔ

to dwell; to handle

Examples

HSK 2

公司对他做出了处分。

Gōngsī duì tā zuòchū le chǔfèn.

The company disciplined him.

HSK 3

他们相处得很好。

Tāmen xiāngchǔ de hěn hǎo.

They get along very well.

HSK 5

请尽快处理这件事。

Qǐng jǐnkuài chǔlǐ zhè jiàn shì.

Please handle this matter as soon as possible.

Tips

mistakes

处 has two readings. chǔ is the VERB sense - to reside, get along, handle, punish (相处, 处理, 处分, 处于). chù is the NOUN sense - place, office, aspect (到处, 长处, 处长). When in doubt: action → chǔ, location → chù.

memory

Verb chǔ keeps the original sense of "to be settled in / to dwell" - to handle (处理) and to get along (相处) both come from the idea of finding one's footing in a situation. Even "to punish" (处罚) is putting someone in the appropriate position.

Components

radical

夂 zhǐ

walk slowly; step

Top-left indexing radical 夂 - a foot stepping down, files 处 under "slow step." The original 處 had 虎 (tiger) above 凡 (vessel) - a tiger settled in its place. The 1956 reform stripped that scene to 夂, keeping only the trace of motion that frames "the place where one comes to rest."

semantic

卜 bǔ

divine; mark

Bottom-right 卜 - two strokes that historically stood for the seat or post where one settles. In modern 处 it acts as a graphic marker fixing the location: the foot stops 夂 here at this spot 卜 = the place. Together 夂+卜 give the "where one stays / handles things" core meaning.