治 (zhì): to govern, to treat
治 (zhì) is a Chinese character meaning “to govern, to treat.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 氵 (structural) and 台 (structural). It ranks #274 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 治 a structure 台 that directs the flow of water 氵. Its radical form 氵 (water) appears in many related characters such as 水 (shuǐ, water), 汉 (hàn, Han ethnic group), 汽 (qì, steam).
Definitions
- to govern, to treat
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA structure 台 that directs the flow of water 氵
Decomposition: ⿰氵台 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 治 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 治
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 治疗verb | zhì liáo | to treat (an illness) | 5 |
| 政治noun | zhèng zhì | politics | 5 |
| 治理verb | zhì lǐ | to govern | 6 |
| 防治verb | fáng zhì | to prevent and cure | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 乔治proper-noun | qiáo zhì | George (name) |
| 三明治noun | sān míng zhì | (loanword) sandwich |
| 治安noun | zhì ān | law and order |
| 统治verb | tǒng zhì | to rule (a country) |
| 治愈verb | zhì yù | to cure |
| 政治家noun | zhèng zhì jiā | statesman |
| 统治者noun | tǒng zhì zhě | ruler |
| 医治verb | yī zhì | to treat (an illness) |
| 治病verb | zhì bìng | to treat an illness |
| 乔治亚proper-noun | qiáo zhì yà | (Tw) Georgia, US state |
| 救治verb | jiù zhì | to provide critical care (to a patient or a diseased plant) |
| 格林威治 | gé lín wēi zhì | Greenwich |
| 政治犯noun | zhèng zhì fàn | political prisoner |
| 自治verb | zì zhì | autonomy |
| 主治医师 | zhǔ zhì yī shī | attending physician |
治 appears in 100 compound words: 28 as the first character, 41 as the last, and 31 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 治 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (20)
guaranteed to cure all illnesses; cure-all; bags can cure all unhappiness
to exert oneself to make the country prosperous; to strive for the prosperity of one's country
guaranteed to cure all illnesses; cure-all; bags can cure all unhappiness
to exert oneself to make the country prosperous; to strive for the prosperity of one's country
Showing 12 of 20 idioms containing 治.
Example Sentences
政府正在采取措施治理城市交通拥堵问题。
Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài cǎiqǔ cuòshī zhìlǐ chéngshì jiāotōng yōngdǔ wèntí.
The government is taking measures to address urban traffic congestion problems.
格陵兰岛自治政府总理称无意接收特朗普所称派往当地的医...
gé líng lán dǎo zì zhì zhèng fǔ zǒng lǐ chèn wú yì jiē shōu tè lǎng pǔ suǒ chèn pài wǎng dāng dì de yī . . .
The prime minister of the Greenland autonomous government said he had no intention of accepting what Trump said was sent to the local doctor...
...命|秀茂坪顺利邨45岁妇堕楼 送院抢救不治
. . . mìng xiù mào píng shùn lì 邨 4 5 suì fù duò lóu sòng yuàn qiǎng jiù bù zhì
... A 45-year-old woman fell from a building in Shunli Estate in Sau Mau Ping and was sent to the hospital for rescue
...子骑车出游经南横疑自撞护栏 坠边坡送医不治
. . . zǐ qí chē chū yóu jīng nán héng yí zì zhuàng hù lán zhuì biān pō sòng yī bù zhì
... The son was riding a bicycle through South Heng and was suspected of crashing into a guardrail and falling down a slope and was taken to the hospital where he died
寻马记|以“马”为眼,感受汉代文景之治
xún mǎ jì yǐ mǎ wéi yǎn , gǎn shòu hàn dài wén jǐng zhī zhì
Horse Hunt|Horse as the eye, feel the rule of Wenjing in the Han Dynasty
...就利比亚局势展开磋商 中方呼吁和平解决政治分..
. . . jiù lì bǐ yà jú shì zhǎn kāi cuō shāng zhōng fāng hū xū hé píng xiè jué zhèng zhì fēn . .
... Consultations on the situation in Libya China calls for a peaceful solution to the political separat...
这无法完全被治愈。
Zhè wúfǎ wánquán bèi zhìyù.
It cannot be completely cured.
乔治击中了他的腹部。
Qiáozhì jīzhòng le tā de fùbù.
George hit him in the stomach.
他们把失败归咎于乔治。
Tāmen bǎ shībài guījiù yú Qiáozhì.
They blamed the failure on George.
乔治敦是盖亚那的首都。
Qiáozhìdūn shì Gàiyànà de shǒudū.
Georgetown is the capital of Guyana.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 治 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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