zhé
adverb #37,800

Meanings

  1. 1 then; at once
  2. 2 always; invariably (literary)
  3. 3 every time

Examples

Dòng zhé dé jiù.
At every turn one is blamed.
Yǐn shǎo zhé zuì.
He drinks little and gets drunk at once. (from Ouyang Xiu)
Qiǎn cháng zhé zhǐ.
Stop after a brief taste; dabble without going deep.

Tips

register
is classical/literary. Modern Chinese uses (jiù) for 'then, immediately'. You'll meet mostly in chengyu like (at every turn) and 浅尝辄止 (to dabble), or in classical texts. Don't use it in conversation.
history
Originally named the upturned end-boards of a chariot box that resembled drooping ears. By the Han dynasty it had been borrowed for the adverbial 'then, immediately', preserved today only in fixed expressions.

Stroke Order

zhé