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正在

Mandarin · pinyin zhèng zài

to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing

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正: zhèng · right, proper, correct
在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4 · zheng4 zai4

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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 Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zing3 zoi6

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

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

adv

in the process of; currently (similar to English -ing); in progress

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

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