折 (zhé): to break, to fracture, to snap, to suffer loss, to bend, to twist
折 (zhé) is a Chinese character meaning “to break.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (structural) and 斤 (structural). It ranks #1129 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 折 a hand 扌 wielding an axe 斤. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to break
- to fracture
- to snap
- to suffer loss
- to bend
- to twist
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand 扌 wielding an axe 斤
Decomposition: ⿰扌斤 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 折 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 折
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 折磨verb | zhé mó | to torment |
| 骨折verb | gǔ zhé | to suffer a fracture |
| 折腾verb | zhē teng | to toss from side to side (e.g. sleeplessly) |
| 折断verb | zhé duàn | to snap sth off |
| 折叠verb | zhé dié | to fold |
| 转折点noun | zhuǎn zhé diǎn | turning point |
| 不折不扣phrase | bù zhé bù kòu | a hundred percent |
| 曲折adjective | qū zhé | winding |
| 转折verb | zhuǎn zhé | shift in the trend of events |
| 存折noun | cún zhé | passbook |
| 周折noun | zhōu zhé | twists and turns |
| 折服verb | zhé fú | to convince |
| 波折noun | bō zhé | twists and turns |
| 折中verb | zhé zhōng | to compromise |
| 折衷verb | zhé zhōng | variant of 折中 |
折 appears in 100 compound words: 65 as the first character, 23 as the last, and 12 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 折 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
indomitable; unfazed by difficulties or challenges; (slightly derogatory) stubborn; persistent
indomitable; unfazed by difficulties or challenges; (slightly derogatory) stubborn; persistent
one hundred percent; to the letter; unreservedly; fully; thoroughly; out and out; through and through
premature death of a budding talent; those whom the Gods love die young
lit. various cuts and deductions (idiom); fig. greatly reduced; substantially scaled back
indomitable; unfazed by difficulties or challenges; (slightly derogatory) stubborn; persistent
premature death of a budding talent; those whom the Gods love die young
Showing 10 of 11 idioms containing 折.
Example Sentences
妈妈折着孩子的手，慢慢地过马路。
mā mā shé zhe hái zǐ de shǒu , màn màn dì guò mǎ lù .
Mom held her child's hand as they slowly crossed the street.
酷澎个资外泄!只赔千元折价券挨批没诚意 律师:最高可求偿2万
kù péng gè zī wài xiè ! zhī péi qiān yuán zhé jià quàn āi pī méi chéng yì lǜ shī : zuì gāo kě qiú cháng 2 wàn
Cool Peng's personal information leaked! Only 1,000 yuan discount coupon was criticized for being insincere Lawyer: Up to 20,000 yuan can be claimed
...件波及20万台湾帐号! 每名用户补偿千元折价券
. . . jiàn bō jí 2 0 wàn tái wān zhàng hào ! měi míng yòng hù bǔ cháng qiān yuán zhé jià quàn
... The case affected 200,000 Taiwanese accounts! Each user compensates for 1,000 yuan discount coupons
...股还会涨!韩国股市一路狂飙,专家解析从“折价”走向“重新评价”的关键
. . . gǔ hái huì zhǎng ! hán guó gǔ shì yī lù kuáng biāo , zhuān jiā jiě xī cóng zhé jià zǒu xiàng chóng xīn píng jià de guān jiàn
... Stocks will rise! The South Korean stock market has been soaring, and experts have analyzed the key from "discount" to "re-evaluation"
动物保健行业暂别高峰 信得科技估值大打折扣
dòng wù bǎo jiàn háng yè zàn bié gāo fēng xìn dé kē jì gū zhí dà dǎ zhé kòu
The animal health industry temporarily bid farewell to the peak, and the valuation of Xinde Technology was greatly reduced
中国资产折价40-50%也无法套现?全球10大私募...
zhōng guó zī chǎn zhé jià 4 0 5 0 yě wú fǎ tào xiàn ? quán qiú 1 0 dà sī mù . . .
China's assets are discounted by 40-50% and cannot be cashed out? The world's top 10 private placements...
一个人得遇到多大的挫折才会自杀？
Yīgèrén de yùdào duōdà de cuòzhé cái huì zìshā?
How frustrated must a person be to commit suicide?
用现金付的话会有折扣吗?
Yòng xiànjīn fù dehuà huì yǒu zhékòu ma?
Is there a discount if you pay in cash?
你可以给我折扣吗?
Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ zhékòu ma?
Can you give me a discount?
首次订购可获九五折的特别优惠。
Shǒucì dìnggòu kě huò jiǔ wǔ zhé de tèbié yōuhuì.
Your initial order is subject to a special discount of 5%.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 折 (zhé) mean in Chinese?
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What are the components of 折?
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Is 折 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 折 with real-time feedback
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