遮 (zhē): to cover up (a shortcoming), to screen off, to hide
遮 (zhē) is a Chinese character meaning “to cover up (a shortcoming).” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 辶 (semantic) and 庶 (phonetic). It ranks #2094 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 遮 walk. Its radical form 辶 (walk) appears in many related characters such as 边 (biān, side), 过 (guò, to pass, past), 还 (hái, still, return).
Definitions
- to cover up (a shortcoming)
- to screen off
- to hide
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 遮 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遮住 | zhē zhù | to cover (up) |
| 遮掩verb | zhē yǎn | to cover |
| 遮遮掩掩phrase | zhē zhē yǎn yǎn | to be secretive |
| 遮盖verb | zhē gài | to hide |
| 遮蔽verb | zhē bì | to cover |
| 遮挡verb | zhē dǎng | to shelter |
| 遮羞布noun | zhē xiū bù | loincloth |
| 遮阳verb | zhē yáng | to shield from the sun |
| 旁遮普proper-noun | páng zhē pǔ | Punjab state of India |
| 遮荫verb | zhē yīn | to provide shade |
| 遮天蔽日phrase | zhē tiān bì rì | lit. hiding the sky and covering the earth (idiom) |
| 遮阳板noun | zhē yáng bǎn | sun visor |
| 遮羞verb | zhē xiū | to cover up one's embarrassment |
| 一手遮天phrase | yī shǒu zhē tiān | lit. to hide the sky with one hand |
| 东掩西遮 | dōng yǎn xī zhē | to cover up the truth on all sides (idiom) |
遮 appears in 25 compound words: 72 as the first character, 4 as the last, and 24 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 遮 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
to have no misgivings or control when one speaks; to shoot one's mouth off
to have no misgivings or control when one speaks; to shoot one's mouth off
Example Sentences
了解遮字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le xiè zhē zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ xiè zhōng guó wén huā .
Understanding the origins of the practice of covering characters helps to comprehend Chinese culture.
...径起点Start变“Strat” 康文署遮盖称“危险/待修”
. . . jìng qǐ diǎn S t a r t biàn S t r a t kāng wén shǔ zhē gài chèn wēi xiǎn dài xiū
...The word "Start" at the trailhead has been changed to "Strat"; the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has covered it up, citing "dangerous/under repair"
【东方日报世界视线】特朗普胜利谎言 难遮掩陷困真相
dōng fāng rì bào shì jiè shì xiàn tè lǎng pǔ shèng lì huǎng yán nán zhē yǎn xiàn kùn zhēn xiāng
[Oriental Daily: Global Perspective] Trump’s Lies of Victory Cannot Hide the Truth of His Plight
世界视线:特朗普胜利谎言 难遮掩陷困真相
shì jiè shì xiàn : tè lǎng pǔ shèng lì huǎng yán nán zhē yǎn xiàn kùn zhēn xiāng
World View: Trump’s Victory Lies Cannot Hide the Truth of His Plight
...美以“普林节”前夕袭伊:宗教宿命论与政治遮羞布
. . . měi yǐ pǔ lín jié qián xī xí yī : zōng jiào sù mìng lùn yǔ zhèng zhì zhē xiū bù
...U.S. Strikes Iran on the Eve of "Purim": Religious Determinism and a Political Fig Leaf
巨大的柱子遮住了视线，让人看不到湖。
Jùdà de zhùzi zhēzhù le shìxiàn, ràng rén kàn bù dào hú.
A large pillar obstructs the view of the lake.
在云的遮蔽下无法见到月亮。
Zài yún de zhēbì xià wúfǎ jiàndào yuèliang.
The moon is invisible behind the clouds.
当你在阳光下的时候，遮住你的头。
Dāng nǐ zài yángguāng xià de shíhou, zhēzhù nǐ de tóu.
Cover your head when you are in the sun.
应该为这些花遮挡风雨。
Yīnggāi wèi zhèxiē huā zhēdǎng fēngyǔ.
These flowers should be sheltered from the rain.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 辶 (walk) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 遮 (zhē) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 遮 and 下?
How many strokes does 遮 have?
What is the radical of 遮?
What are the components of 遮?
What are common words containing 遮?
What characters sound the same as 遮 (zhē)?
Is 遮 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 遮 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.