Usage of the character 著

to lie down on a bed
(physiology) implantation (attachment of a blastocyst to the lining of the uterus)
(of an oyster larva) to attach to a substrate
(fig.) to take root
to become established

zháohuǒ

着火

[著火]

to catch fire

yǐnzháo

引着

[引著]

to ignite
to kindle

fùzhuó

附着

[附著]

to adhere
attachment

niánzhuó

黏着

[黏著]

to adhere; to stick together; to bond; to agglutinate

hézhe

合着

[合著]

(dialect) (implying sudden realization) so
after all

zhuólì

着力

[著力]

to put effort into sth
to try really hard

jièzhe

藉着

[藉著]

by means of
through

zhāoshù

着数

[著數]

move (in chess, on stage, in martial arts)
gambit
trick
scheme
movement
same as 招數／招数 (zhāoshù)

míngzhù

名著

[名著]

masterpiece

dézháo

得着

[得著]

to obtain

zháojí

着急

[著急]

to worry; to feel anxious
to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry
Taiwan pr. (zhāoji)

wèizhe

为着

[為著]

in order to
because of
for the sake of

āizhe

挨着

[挨著]

near

yuánzhù

原著

[原著]

original work (not translation or abridged)

zhuóluò

着落

[著落]

whereabouts
place to settle
reliable source (of funds etc)
(of responsibility for a matter) to rest with sb
settlement
solution

chēnzhe

嗔着

[嗔著]

(coll.) to blame sb for sth

huāzhāo

花着

[花著]

variant of 花招 (huāzhāo)

xīzhuó

吸着

[吸著]

sorption (generic term for absorption, adsorption, diffusion, precipitation etc)

píngzhe

凭着

[憑著]

relying on
on the basis of

cāizháo

猜着

[猜著]

to guess correctly

tǔzhù

土著

[土著]

aboriginal

dāngzhe

当着

[當著]

in front of
in the presence of

zhuóbǐ

着笔

[著筆]

to put pen to paper

zhuósè

着色

[著色]

to paint
to apply color

shuìzháo

睡着

[睡著]

to fall asleep

zhuóyǎn

着眼

[著眼]

to have one's eyes on (a goal)
having sth in mind
to concentrate

yàozhuó

要着

[要著]

important thing
crucial thing

yǒuzhe

有着

[有著]

to have
to possess

zhuózhòng

着重

[著重]

to put emphasis on; to stress

zhuóyì

着意

[著意]

to act with diligent care

zhùshù

著述

[著述]

writing
to write
to compile

dāzhe

耷着

[耷著]

to droop; to hang down; to dangle

yīzhuó

衣着

[衣著]

clothes

zháobiānr

着边儿

[著邊兒]

erhua variant of 著邊／着边 (zháobiān)

ruǎnzhuólù

软着陆

[軟著陸]

soft landing (e.g. of spacecraft)

guǎndezháo

管得着

[管得著]

to concern oneself with (a matter); to make (sth) one's business

shǔbùzháo

数不着

[數不著]

see 數不上／数不上 (shǔbùshàng)

liǎngzhāor

两着儿

[兩著兒]

the same old trick
illegal device

zhuóyǎndiǎn

着眼点

[著眼點]

place of interest
a place one has one's eye on

zhuólùdiǎn

着陆点

[著陸點]

landing site

niánzhuóxìng

黏着性

[黏著性]

(linguistic) agglutinative

mōbuzháo

摸不着

[摸不著]

can't touch; can't reach
(fig.) unable to get a grasp of

míngbǎizhe

明摆着

[明擺著]

evident
clear
undoubted

dūzhezuǐ

嘟着嘴

[嘟著嘴]

to pout

běngzheliǎn

绷着脸

[繃著臉]

to have a taut face
to pull a long face
to look displeased

kōngzheshǒu

空着手

[空著手]

empty-handed

worthwhile (often in rhetorical questions, implying not worthwhile)
also written 犯得上 (fàndeshàng)

guǎnbuzháo

管不着

[管不著]

to have no right or ability to interfere in sth
it's none of your business!

zhuólùchǎng

着陆场

[著陸場]

landing site

niánzhuólì

黏着力

[黏著力]

adhesion
adhesive force

qùzheyǎn

觑着眼

[覷著眼]

to narrow one's eyes and gaze at something with great attention

zháodàor

着道儿

[著道兒]

to be fooled
to be taken in (by a ruse)

lǎozheliǎn

老着脸

[老著臉]

shamelessly

gòudezháo

够得着

[夠得著]

to reach (with one's hand etc)
(fig.) to attain (an objective)

zhuózhònghào

着重号

[著重號]

Chinese underdot (punct. used for emphasis, sim. to Western italics)

shuìdezháo

睡得着

[睡得著]

to fall asleep; to get to sleep

nàmezhe

那么着

[那麼著]

(do sth) that way; like that

mōdezháo

摸得着

[摸得著]

to be able to touch
tangible

bèizheshǒu

背着手

[背著手]

with one's hands clasped behind one's back

niánzhuóyǔ

黏着语

[黏著語]

agglutinative language (e.g. Turkish and Japanese)

shuōzhewán

说着玩

[說著玩]

to say sth for fun
to be kidding
to joke around

zhǎobuzháo

找不着

[找不著]

to be unable to find

fùzhuówù

附着物

[附著物]

fixture (law)
attachment

gòubuzháo

够不着

[夠不著]

to be unable to reach

shǔdezháo

数得着

[數得著]

to be considered outstanding or special; to be reckoned with; notable

jǐnjiēzhe

紧接着

[緊接著]

immediately afterwards
shortly after that

gānzháojí

干着急

[乾著急]

to worry helplessly

kànzhebàn

看着办

[看著辦]

to do as one sees fit
to play it by ear (according to the circumstances)

yìwèizhe

意味着

[意味著]

to signify
to mean
to imply

děngzheqiáo

等着瞧

[等著瞧]

wait and see (who is right)

zǒuzheqiáo

走着瞧

[走著瞧]

wait and see (who is right)

zhuójìnr

着劲儿

[著勁兒]

to put effort into sth
to try really hard

zěnmezhāo

怎么着

[怎麼著]

what?
how?
how about?
whatever
also pr. (zěnmezhe)

fànbuzháo

犯不着

[犯不著]

not worthwhile

zháohuǒdiǎn

着火点

[著火點]

ignition point (temperature)
combustion point

duìzhegàn

对着干

[對著幹]

to adopt confrontational posture
to meet head-on
to compete

yòngbuzháo

用不着

[用不著]

not need
have no use for

yòngdezháo

用得着

[用得著]

to be able to use; useable; to have a use for
(in a question) to be necessary to

qiáozhebàn

瞧着办

[瞧著辦]

to do as one sees fit
It's up to you.
Let's wait and see and then decide what to do.

tǔzhùrén

土著人

[土著人]

indigenous person
aboriginal

zhèmezhe

这么着

[這麼著]

thus
in this way
like this

nièzhejiǎo

蹑着脚

[躡著腳]

to tiptoe

zhāngmíngjiàozhù

彰明较著

[彰明較著]

obvious
clear for all to see

zhǎobuzháoběi

找不着北

[找不著北]

to be confused and disoriented

kànzhebùguǎn

看着不管

[看著不管]

to stand by and pay no heed
to ignore

nàozhewánr

闹着玩儿

[鬧著玩兒]

to play games
to joke around
to play a joke on sb

chuānzhuódǎbàn

穿着打扮

[穿著打扮]

style of dress
one's appearance

yǎngwūzhùshū

仰屋著书

[仰屋著書]

lit. to stare at the ceiling while writing a book (idiom); to put one's whole body and soul into a book

bùzhuóhénjì

不着痕迹

[不著痕跡]

to leave no trace
seamlessly
unobtrusively

yìngzhetóupí

硬着头皮

[硬著頭皮]

to brace oneself to do sth
to put a bold face on it
to summon up courage
to force oneself to

wāidǎzhèngzháo

歪打正着

[歪打正著]

to succeed by a lucky stroke

cháwēizhīzhù

察微知著

[察微知著]

to examine tiny clues to know general trends (idiom)
to deduce the whole story from small traces

chénzhuóyìngzhàn

沉着应战

[沉著應戰]

to remain calm in the face of adversity (idiom)

kūsangzheliǎn

哭丧着脸

[哭喪著臉]

to pull a long face
to wear a mournful expression

chòumíngzhāozhù

臭名昭著

[臭名昭著]

notorious
infamous
egregious (bandits)

zhùshūlìshuō

著书立说

[著書立說]

to write a book advancing one's theory (idiom)

sìdàmíngzhù

四大名著

[四大名著]

the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature, namely: A Dream of Red Mansions 紅樓夢／红楼梦 ( Hónglóu Mèng), Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義／三国演义 ( Sānguó Yǎnyì), Water Margin 水滸傳／水浒传 ( Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn), Journey to the West 西遊記／西游记 ( Xīyóu Jì)

niánpízhuógǔ

粘皮著骨

[粘皮著骨]

see 粘皮帶骨／粘皮带骨 (niánpídàigǔ)

jiànwēizhīzhù

见微知著

[見微知著]

one tiny clue reveals the general trend (idiom); small beginnings show how things will develop

chībǎochēngzhe

吃饱撑着

[吃飽撐著]

having nothing better to do

shuōzhewánr

说着玩儿

[說著玩兒]

erhua variant of 說著玩／说着玩 (shuōzhewán)

èmíngzhāozhù

恶名昭著

[惡名昭著]

notorious (idiom)
infamous

qígāoyīzhāo

棋高一着

[棋高一著]

to be a step ahead of the opponent (idiom)
to outsmart one's opponent

shìwēizhīzhuó

视微知着

[視微知著]

one tiny clue reveals the general trend (idiom); small beginnings show how things will develop

mōbuzháobiān

摸不着边

[摸不著邊]

can't make head or tail of

bùzhuóbiānjì

不着边际

[不著邊際]

not to the point
wide of the mark
neither here nor there
irrelevant

zhuóshǒuchéngchūn

着手成春

[著手成春]

lit. set out and it becomes spring (idiom); to effect a miracle cure (of medical operation)
to bring back the dead
once it starts, everything goes well

zhùchēngyúshì

著称于世

[著稱於世]

world-renowned

zhuózhuóshībài

着着失败

[著著失敗]

to fail at every step of the way (idiom)

chuānzhuójiǎngjiu

穿着讲究

[穿著講究]

smart clothes
particular about one's dress

yǎozhe'ěrduo

咬着耳朵

[咬著耳朵]

whispering in sb's ear

bùzhuólùfēixíng

不着陆飞行

[不著陸飛行]

nonstop flight

zháosānbùzháoliǎng

着三不着两

[著三不著兩]

scatter-brained
thoughtless

nǐkànzhebànba

你看着办吧

[你看著辦吧]

You figure it out for yourself.
Do as you please.

shímòchénzhuóbìng

石末沉着病

[石末沉著病]

silicosis (occupational disease of miners)
grinder's disease
also written 矽末病

mōbuzháotóunǎo

摸不着头脑

[摸不著頭腦]

to be unable to make any sense of the matter
to be at a loss

tǎngzheyězhòngqiāng

躺着也中枪

[躺著也中槍]

(Internet slang) (lit.) to get shot even though lying down; (fig.) to be unfairly targeted

qiānzhebízizǒu

牵着鼻子走

[牽著鼻子走]

to lead by the nose

mōzheshítouguòhé

摸着石头过河

[摸著石頭過河]

to wade across the river, feeling for footholds as one goes (idiom)
to advance cautiously, step by step
to feel one's way forward

chībuliǎodōuzhezǒu

吃不了兜着走

[吃不了兜著走]

lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom)
fig. you'll have to take the consequences

chuāizhemíngbaizhuānghútu

揣着明白装糊涂

[揣著明白裝糊塗]

to pretend to not know
to play dumb

fàngzhemíngbaizhuānghútu

放着明白装糊涂

[放著明白裝糊塗]

to pretend not to know (idiom)

zhēngzheyǎnjīngshuōxiāhuà

睁着眼睛说瞎话

[睜著眼睛說瞎話]

(idiom) to lie through one's teeth; to talk drivel

duìzhehéshangmàzéitū

对着和尚骂贼秃

[對著和尚罵賊禿]

lit. in the presence of a monk, insult another monk, calling him a bald-headed bandit (idiom)
fig. to insult indirectly; to criticize obliquely

zhànzheshuōhuàbùyāoténg

站着说话不腰疼

[站著說話不腰疼]

lit. it's all very well to talk, but getting things done is another matter (idiom)
fig. to be an armchair expert; to blabber on

zhǐzhehéshangmàtūzi

指着和尚骂秃子

[指著和尚罵禿子]

lit. to insult a bald man while pointing at a monk (idiom)
fig. to insult indirectly
to criticize obliquely

zhànzhemáokēngbùlāshǐ

占着茅坑不拉屎

[占著茅坑不拉屎]

lit. to occupy a latrine but not shit (proverb)
fig. to be a dog in the manger

zhèshānwàngzhenàshāngāo

这山望着那山高

[這山望著那山高]

lit. the next mountain looks taller (idiom); fig. not satisfied with one's current position
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

názhejīmáodànglìngjiàn

拿着鸡毛当令箭

[拿著雞毛當令箭]

to wave a chicken feather as a token of authority (idiom); to assume unwarranted authority on the basis of some pretext

bēizhebàozheyībānzhòng

背着抱着一般重

[背著抱著一般重]

lit. whether one carries it on one's back or in one's arms, it's equally heavy (idiom)
fig. one can't avoid the burden

tōujībùzháoshíbǎmǐ

偷鸡不着蚀把米

[偷雞不著蝕把米]

see 偷雞不成蝕把米／偷鸡不成蚀把米 (tōujībùchéngshíbǎmǐ)

hǎosǐbùrúlàihuózhe

好死不如赖活着

[好死不如賴活著]

better a bad life than a good death (idiom)

chīzhewǎnlǐ,kànzheguōlǐ

吃着碗里，看着锅里

[吃著碗裡，看著鍋裡]

lit. eyeing what's in the pot as one eats from one's bowl (idiom)
not content with what one already has
(of men, typically) to have the wandering eye

chīzhewǎnlǐ,qiáozheguōlǐ

吃着碗里，瞧着锅里

[吃著碗裡，瞧著鍋裡]

see 吃著碗裡，看著鍋裡／吃着碗里，看着锅里 (chīzhewǎnlǐ,kànzheguōlǐ)

qiánbùzháocūn,hòubùzháodiàn

前不着村，后不着店

[前不著村，後不著店]

lit. no village ahead and no inn behind (idiom)
fig. to be stranded in the middle of nowhere
to be in a predicament

dàchùzhuóyǎn,xiǎochùzhuóshǒu

大处着眼，小处着手

[大處著眼，小處著手]

think of the big picture, start with the little things (idiom)

yīzhāobùshèn,mǎnpánjiēshū

一着不慎，满盘皆输

[一著不慎，滿盤皆輸]

One careless move and the whole game is lost. (idiom)

zhàng'èr Jīngāngmōbuzháotóunǎo

丈二金刚摸不着头脑

[丈二金剛摸不著頭腦]

see 丈二和尚，摸不著頭腦／丈二和尚，摸不着头脑 (zhàng'èrhéshang,mōbuzháotóunǎo)

bùzitàidà,róngyìchězhedàn

步子太大，容易扯着蛋

[步子太大，容易扯著蛋]

if you take too big a stride, you could easily rip your balls (catchphrase) (line spoken by actor 葛優／葛优 ( Gě Yōu) in the 2010 action comedy movie 讓子彈飛／让子弹飞 ( Ràng Zǐdàn Fēi))
(fig.) take things one step at a time

zhàng'èrhéshang,mōbuzháotóunǎo

丈二和尚，摸不着头脑

[丈二和尚，摸不著頭腦]

lit. like a three-meter high monk, you can't rub his head (idiom)
fig. at a total loss