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正zhèngjust (at that time)

HSK 2word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

正 (zhèng) means "just (at that time)," as in 妈妈正做饭呢 (Mom is just cooking), 我正想去你家 (I was just thinking of going to your home) and 他来的时候,我正看书呢 (When he came, I was just reading). In all three, 正 means just at that time. This entry covers this one sense.

What does 正 mean?

  1. 1.

    just (at that time)adverb

What does the character 正 mean?

  • 正just (at that time)

How do you use 正?

See it in 妈妈正做饭呢, 我正想去你家 and 他来的时候,我正看书呢.

Patterns

  • 正 + verb + 呢

    妈妈正做饭呢。

    Māma zhèng zuò fàn ne.

    Mom is just cooking.

What are some examples of 正 in a sentence?

  1. 妈妈正做饭呢。

    Māma zhèng zuò fàn ne.

    Mom is just cooking.

  2. 我正想去你家。

    Wǒ zhèng xiǎng qù nǐ jiā.

    I was just thinking of going to your home.

  3. 他来的时候,我正看书呢。

    Tā lái de shíhou, wǒ zhèng kàn shū ne.

    When he came, I was just reading.

How is 正 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你在做什么?

    Nǐ zài zuò shénme?

    What are you doing?

  2. Speaker B:

    我正看书呢。

    Wǒ zhèng kàn shū ne.

    I'm just reading.

  3. Speaker A:

    一起去吃饭吧。

    Yìqǐ qù chī fàn ba.

    Let's go eat together.

  4. Speaker B:

    好,等我一下。

    Hǎo, děng wǒ yíxià.

    OK, wait for me a moment.

Can you use 正 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 妈妈___做饭呢。 (Mom is just cooking.)
  2. 2.What does 我正想去你家。 mean?
  3. 3.What does 正 mean in 他来的时候,我正看书呢。?

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.