乍
Character Story & Explanation
In modern Chinese, 乍 appears most commonly in fixed expressions and literary contexts — especially in phrases describing suddenness or initial impressions. It’s central to the famous line from Li Qingzhao’s Song dynasty poem: ‘乍暖还寒时候，最难将息’ — describing early spring’s unpredictable shifts. Today, learners encounter it in HSK 4+ reading passages, news headlines ('乍现新机遇'), and formal reports. It’s also used in legal and academic writing to signal emergence or onset.
The character’s earliest documented form appears in seal script (c. 3rd century BCE), where it resembles a stylized depiction of a person suddenly raising arms — suggesting abrupt motion or surprise. While oracle bone inscriptions don’t confirm this, scholars agree its shape evolved to convey immediacy and spontaneity, consistent with its semantic role in later texts.
Hi students! Let’s learn 乍 (zhà), a small but powerful character with just five strokes. It’s not a standalone word in modern spoken Chinese, but it appears frequently in written language and compound words. Its core meaning is 'at first' or 'suddenly', capturing that very first moment of an action or change — like the instant you hear surprising news or step into a new situation. Think of it as marking the 'spark' of something new.
This character belongs to the 丿 (piě) radical — the 'left-falling stroke' — which often appears in characters related to movement or direction. Though tiny, 乍 carries weight in formal writing, literature, and idioms. You’ll rarely hear it alone in conversation, but you’ll see it often in newspapers, essays, and exams — especially HSK 4–5 level texts.
Don’t confuse 乍 with similar-looking characters like 作 (zuò, 'to do') or 炸 (zhà, 'to explode'). While they share the same pronunciation in some cases, their meanings and usage differ sharply. Mastering 乍 helps you read nuanced expressions like 乍暖还寒 (zhà nuǎn huán hán — 'warm one moment, cold the next'), common in classical poetry and weather descriptions.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
Your First Step into Chinese Culture: Get a Chinese Name
Every journey into Chinese begins with a name. Use our free Chinese name generator to create a meaningful, personalized Chinese name that fits you perfectly.
Get My Chinese Name →