镇 (zhèn): town, to suppress
镇 (zhèn) is a Chinese character meaning “town, to suppress.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (semantic) and 真 (phonetic). It ranks #1001 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 镇 metal. Its radical form 钅 (metal) appears in many related characters such as 钱 (qián, money), 错 (cuò, wrong, mistake), 钟 (zhōng, clock, bell).
Definitions
- town, to suppress
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 镇 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 镇
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小镇noun | xiǎo zhèn | small town |
| 镇子noun | zhèn zi | town |
| 镇定adjective | zhèn dìng | calm |
| 镇静adjective | zhèn jìng | calm |
| 镇静剂noun | zhèn jìng jì | tranquilizer |
| 镇长noun | zhèn zhǎng | town headman |
| 镇压verb | zhèn yā | suppression |
| 冰镇verb | bīng zhèn | iced |
| 镇痛verb | zhèn tòng | to suppress pain |
| 镇住 | zhèn zhù | to dominate |
| 镇静药noun | zhèn jìng yào | sedative |
| 镇痛剂noun | zhèn tòng jì | painkiller |
| 镇纸noun | zhèn zhǐ | paperweight |
| 坐镇verb | zuò zhèn | (of a commanding officer) to keep watch |
| 市镇noun | shì zhèn | small town |
镇 appears in 92 compound words: 61 as the first character, 28 as the last, and 11 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 镇 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
这个小镇以温泉闻名，每年吸引大量游客。
Zhè gè xiǎo zhèn yǐ wēnquán wénmíng, měinián xīyǐn dàliàng yóukè.
This small town is famous for its hot springs and attracts many tourists every year.
高中木联/蔡辰泷飙无四死完封 平镇挑战连霸对决谷保
gāo zhōng mù lián 蔡 chén 泷 biāo wú sì sǐ wán fēng píng zhèn tiāo zhàn lián bà duì jué gǔ bǎo
High School Mulian/Cai Chen Longbiao did not have four deaths and shutouts, and Pingzhen challenged the consecutive championship against Gu Bao
...外甥在中国“赚红钱” 陆委会:赤裸裸跨境镇压
. . . wài shēng zài zhōng guó zhuàn hóng qián lù wěi huì : chì luǒ luǒ kuà jìng zhèn yā
... Nephew "makes red money" in China Mainland Affairs Council: Naked cross-border suppression
议政随想—谭镇国:《铁路立标提效 助力北都发展》
yì zhèng suí xiǎng — 谭 zhèn guó : tiě lù lì biāo tí xiào zhù lì běi dōu fā zhǎn
Political Discussion - Tan Zhenguo: "Railway Benchmarking and Improving Efficiency to Help the Development of the Northern Capital"
古镇烟火与家常珍味,每一家餐厅都是精选丨寻味...
gǔ zhèn yān huǒ yǔ jiā cháng zhēn wèi , měi yī jiā cān tīng dōu shì jīng xuǎn 丨 xún wèi . . .
Fireworks and home-cooked delicacies in the ancient town, each restaurant is selected丨Taste...
暖意融融 走进上海机场建设者小镇
nuǎn yì róng róng zǒu jìn shǎng hǎi jī chǎng jiàn shè zhě xiǎo zhèn
Warmth and Hospitality: A Visit to the Shanghai Airport Construction Workers' Village
我需要用药来镇痛。
Wǒ xūyào yòng yào lái zhèntòng.
I need some medicine to kill the pain.
小镇被暴风雨后的洪水摧毁了。
Xiǎozhèn bèi bàofēngyǔ hòu de hóngshuǐ cuīhuǐ le.
The town was destroyed by the flood after the storm.
这座城镇发展成为了一个经济中心。
Zhè zuò chéngzhèn fāzhǎn chéngwéi le yī gè jīngjì zhōngxīn.
The town developed into the center of the economy.
那小镇离岸边有两英里。
Nà xiǎozhèn lí'àn biān yǒu liǎng Yīnglǐ.
The town is two miles away from the coast.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 钅 (metal) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 镇 (zhèn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 镇 and 慎?
How many strokes does 镇 have?
What is the radical of 镇?
What are the components of 镇?
What are common words containing 镇?
What characters sound the same as 镇 (zhèn)?
Is 镇 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 镇 with real-time feedback
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