正

Mandarin · pinyin zhēng#

Meanings · zhēng

  1. first month of the lunar year
Mandarin · pinyin zhèng#

Meanings · zhèng

  1. straight
  2. upright
  3. proper
  4. main
  5. principal
  6. to correct
  7. to rectify
  8. exactly
  9. just (at that time)
  10. right (in that place)
  11. (math.) positive
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Characters in this entry

正
zhèng · right, proper, correct
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1 · zheng1

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1character link30same-tone records
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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zeng3 · zing1 · zing3

Cantonese word readings for 正. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

  1. straight; upright in proper position; middle
  2. right; proper; correct; upright
  3. obverse; right
  4. regular; standard
  5. precisely; directly; perfectly
  6. primary; chief; main; full
  7. pure; unmixed; authentic; true
  8. pretty; attractive; beautiful
  9. (Cantonese) awesome; fantastic
  10. just now; right now; in the process of
  11. just; exactly; precisely
  12. to straighten; to make straight
  13. to make right; to rectify; to correct
  14. (numeral) ten duodecillion(10⁴⁰)
  15. (mathematics) regular
  16. (mathematics) positive; plus
  17. (physics) positive
  18. (time) sharp; on the dot
  19. (Hakka, Teochew) only; merely
  20. (Hakka, Teochew) just; just now
  21. (Hakka, Teochew) only then; only after
  22. (Hakka, Teochew) Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
  23. (Southern Min) right (direction)
  24. a surname
  25. (tally marks) five (successive strokes of 正 are added in writing sequence to tally a count of five per character)

character

  1. first (month of the lunar year)
  2. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) bull's eye; centre of target
  3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) target; goal
  4. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) original form of 征 (zhēng, “to levy”)
  5. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) original form of 征 (zhēng, “to go on a punitive expedition”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

正 · zheng1 · zheng4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source lines 60,415, 60,416
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source records正 正 [zheng1] /first month of the lunar year/正 正 [zheng4] /straight/upright/proper/main/principal/to correct/to rectify/exactly/just (at that time)/right (in that place)/(math.) positive/