处 (chǔ): to reside, to live, to dwell
处 (chǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to reside.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 夂 (structural) and 卜 (structural). It ranks #206 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 处 to go somewhere 夂 and put down a flag 卜. Its radical form 夂 (go) appears in many related characters such as 备 (bèi, (bound form) to prepare).
Definitions
- to reside
- to live
- to dwell
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo go somewhere 夂 and put down a flag 卜
Decomposition: ⿺夂卜 (layout: surround-from-lower-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 处 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 处
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 处理verb | chǔ lǐ | to handle | 5 |
| 到处adverb | dào chù | everywhere | 3 |
| 好处noun | hǎo chǔ | easy to get along with | 4 |
| 相处verb | xiāng chǔ | to be in contact (with sb) | 5 |
| 处于verb | chǔ yú | to be in (some state, position, or condition) | 5 |
| 四处noun | sì chù | all over the place | 5 |
| 用处noun | yòng chu | usefulness | 6 |
| 处罚verb | chǔ fá | to penalize | 6 |
| 坏处noun | huài chu | harm | 4 |
| 处处adverb | chù chù | everywhere | 6 |
| 长处noun | cháng chù | good aspects | 5 |
| 益处noun | yì chu | benefit | 6 |
| 短处noun | duǎn chù | shortcoming | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 处境 | chǔ jìng | situation (of a person) |
| 住处 | zhù chù | residence |
| 深处 | shēn chù | abyss |
| 处女 | chǔ nǚ | virgin |
| 处在 | chǔ zài | to be situated at |
| 别处 | bié chù | elsewhere |
| 独处 | dú chǔ | to live alone |
| 处置 | chǔ zhì | to handle |
| 何处 | hé chù | whence |
| 处方 | chǔ fāng | medical prescription |
| 处决 | chǔ jué | to execute (a condemned criminal) |
| 处死 | chǔ sǐ | an execution |
| 无处 | wú chù | nowhere |
| 此处 | cǐ chù | this place |
| 远处 | yuǎn chù | distant place |
处 appears in 100 compound words: 32 as the first character, 67 as the last, and 1 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 处 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
to get along; to live together in peace; to be on friendly terms with somebody
to get saved at a critical moment; to survive a crisis; to be unexpectedly rescued from a desperate situation
to get along; to live together in peace; to be on friendly terms with somebody
to get saved at a critical moment; to survive a crisis; to be unexpectedly rescued from a desperate situation
Showing 11 of 12 idioms containing 处.
Example Sentences
处字的写法很特别，让我印象深刻。
chǔ zì de xiě fǎ hěn tè bié , ràng wǒ yìn xiàng shēn kè .
The character "处" has a very distinctive way of being written, which left a deep impression on me.
...要10万!蒋万安怒轰“趁火打劫” 指示局处严查恶霸行为
. . . yāo 1 0 wàn ! 蒋 wàn ān nù hōng chèn huǒ dǎ jié zhǐ shì jú chǔ yán chá è bà háng wéi
... 100,000! Jiang Wan'an angrily bombarded the bureau to "rob while the fire is in the fire" and instructed the bureau to strictly investigate the behavior of bullies
花莲鲤鱼潭9岁男童溺毙 纵管处:与地方政府共同强化管理
huā lián lǐ yú tán 9 suì nán tóng nì bì zòng guǎn chǔ : yǔ dì fāng zhèng fǔ gòng tóng qiáng huà guǎn lǐ
Hualien Liyutan 9-year-old boy drowned Longitudinal Management Office: Strengthen management with local governments
纵管处启动鲤鱼潭水域安全全面检讨 将与地方协力...
zòng guǎn chǔ qǐ dòng lǐ yú tán shuǐ yù ān quán quán miàn jiǎn tǎo jiāng yǔ dì fāng xié lì . . .
The longitudinal management office launched a comprehensive review of the safety of Liyutan waters and will work with local governments...
北港黄狗疑遭饲主高处丢下 警厘清其犯案动机
běi gǎng huáng gǒu yí zāo sì zhǔ gāo chǔ diū xià jǐng lí qīng qí fàn àn dòng jī
The Beigang yellow dog was suspected of being dropped by the owner at a height, and the police clarified his motive for committing the crime
这么做有什么好处吗？
Zhème zuò yǒu shénme hǎochu ma?
Does doing things in this way have a benefit?
失物招领处在哪儿？
Shīwùzhāolǐng chǔzài nǎr?
Where is the lost and found?
请问售票处在哪里？
Qǐngwèn shòupiàochù zài nǎlǐ?
Where can I buy tickets?
你的父母是如何相处的？
Nǐ de fùmǔ shì rúhé xiāngchǔ de?
How are your parents getting along?
你可以描述一下当时的处境吗？
Nǐ kěyǐ miáoshù yīxià dāngshí de chǔjìng ma?
Can you describe the situation you were in?
Character Family
夂 Radical Family — Characters sharing the go radical
Related Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 处 (chǔ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 处 have?
What is the radical of 处?
What are the components of 处?
What are common words containing 处?
What characters sound the same as 处 (chǔ)?
Is 处 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 处 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.