正 (zhèng): straight, upright, proper, main, principal, to correct
正 (zhèng) is a Chinese character meaning “straight.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 一 (structural) and 止 (structural). It ranks #129 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 正 a foot 止 stopping in the right place 一. Its radical form 止 (stop) appears in many related characters such as 止 (zhǐ, to stop), 此 (cǐ, this), 步 (bù, a step).
Definitions
- straight
- upright
- proper
- main
- principal
- to correct
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA foot 止 stopping in the right place 一
Decomposition: ⿱一止 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 正 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 正
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 真正adjective/adverb | zhēn zhèng | genuine | 4 |
| 正在adverb | zhèng zài | to be in the process of (doing sth) | 1 |
| 正常adjective | zhèng cháng | regular | 4 |
| 正确adjective | zhèng què | correct | 4 |
| 反正adverb | fǎn zhèng | anyway | 5 |
| 正好adjective/adverb | zhèng hǎo | just (in time) | 4 |
| 正式adjective | zhèng shì | formal | 4 |
| 正义noun/adjective | zhèng yì | justice | 6 |
| 公正adjective | gōng zhèng | just | 6 |
| 正面noun/adjective | zhèng miàn | front | 6 |
| 纠正verb | jiū zhèng | to correct | 6 |
| 改正verb | gǎi zhèng | to correct | 5 |
| 正规adjective | zhèng guī | regular | 6 |
| 正如verb | zhèng rú | just as | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 正当 | zhèng dāng | timely |
| 正经 | zhèng jīng | decent |
| 正轨 | zhèng guǐ | the right track |
| 正点 | zhèng diǎn | (of a train etc) on time |
| 立正 | lì zhèng | to stand straight |
| 修正 | xiū zhèng | to revise |
| 正派 | zhèng pài | (of a person) upright |
| 正巧 | zhèng qiǎo | just by chance |
| 矫正 | jiǎo zhèng | to correct |
| 更正 | gēng zhèng | to correct |
| 正门 | zhèng mén | main entrance |
| 纯正 | chún zhèng | pure |
| 正餐 | zhèng cān | (regular) meal |
| 正道 | zhèng dào | the correct path |
| 端正 | duān zhèng | upright |
正 appears in 100 compound words: 60 as the first character, 40 as the last, and 0 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 正 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (24)
to bring order out of chaos; to set right what have been thrown into disorder; to restore justice
to reform; to rehabilitate; to turn over a new leaf; to stop committing evil acts and stay on the straight and narrow
to be upright and not flatter; to be righteous and not curry favor with others
to execute on the spot (idiom); summary execution; to carry out the law on the spot
to reform; to rehabilitate; to turn over a new leaf; to stop committing evil acts and stay on the straight and narrow
Showing 12 of 24 idioms containing 正.
Example Sentences
正确的学习方法可以让效率提高很多。
Zhèngquè de xuéxí fāngfǎ kěyǐ ràng xiàolǜ tígāo hěn duō.
The correct learning method can greatly improve efficiency.
2026年米兰-科尔蒂纳冬奥会闭幕式正式开始
2 0 2 6 nián mǐ lán kē ěr dì nà dōng ào huì bì mù shì zhèng shì kāi shǐ
The closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics has officially begun
商业船舶正从全球各地驶往伊朗港口
shāng yè chuán bó zhèng cóng quán qiú gè dì shǐ wǎng yī lǎng gǎng kǒu
Commercial ships are sailing from all over the world to Iranian ports
上海乐高乐园迎开园后首个春节假期,正月初三刷新单日..
shàng hǎi lè gāo lè yuán yíng kāi yuán hòu shǒu gè chūn jié jiǎ qī , zhèng yuè chū sān shuā xīn dān rì . .
Shanghai Legoland welcomed the first Spring Festival holiday after the opening of the park, and the third day of the first lunar month refreshed a single day:
金正恩出席火箭炮赠送仪式
jīn zhēng ēn chū xí huǒ jiàn pào zèng sòng yí shì
Kim Jong Un attends rocket launcher presentation ceremony
春节观文旅4|2378万人次!三湘年味正浓,民俗活..
chūn jié guàn wén lǚ mò rén cì ! sān 湘 nián wèi zhēng nóng , mín sú huó . .
Chinese New Year Observation Culture and Tourism 4|23.78 Million Visitors! The flavor of Chinese New Year is strong in San...
你确认那是可纠正的错误吗？
Nǐ quèrèn nà shì kě jiūzhèng de cuòwù ma?
Can you confirm that it is a correctable error?
那时婴儿正在哭吗？
Nàshí yīng'ér zhèngzài kū ma?
Was the baby crying then?
法国有正宗的中餐吗？
Fǎguó yǒu zhèngzōng de Zhōngcān ma?
Are there authentic Chinese restaurants in France?
让我们现在回到正题上好不好？
Ràng wǒmen xiànzài huídào zhèng tí shànghǎo bù hǎo?
Can we get back to the topic?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 正 (zhèng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 正 and 错?
How many strokes does 正 have?
What is the radical of 正?
What are the components of 正?
What are common words containing 正?
What characters sound the same as 正 (zhèng)?
Is 正 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 正 with real-time feedback
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