着呢

著呢

zhene

particle #3,857

Meanings

1 very much so
2 really
3 still going on

Characters

aspect particle (ongoing state)

modal particle (emphasis)

Examples

外面冷着呢！

Wàimiàn lěng zhene!

It's really cold outside!

他忙着呢，别打扰他。

Tā máng zhene, bié dǎrǎo tā.

He's busy right now, don't disturb him.

Tips

grammar

Sits after an adjective or verb to crank up the intensity, like spoken-Chinese italics. 好着呢 = 'doing just fine', 远着呢 = 'still really far'. The 着 holds the state in place; the 呢 gives it the conversational push.

Stroke Order

着 zhe

呢 ne