zhù HSK 1

English Meaning

📚 Example Sentences

我住这里。
Wǒ zhù zhèlǐ.
I live here.
他住中国。
Tā zhù Zhōngguó.
He lives in China.
你住吗?
Nǐ zhù ma?
Do you live?
我住在一个小公寓里。
Wǒ zhù zài yī gè xiǎo gōngyù lǐ.
I live in a small apartment.
她将在酒店住三晚。
Tā jiāng zài jiǔdiàn zhù sān wǎn.
She will stay at the hotel for three nights.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of the radical 亻(person) next to 主 (master), suggesting a person being the master of their dwelling—where they live or stay. Associate it with settling down, like putting down roots.

📝 Usage Notes

It is used in both formal and informal contexts, in spoken and written Chinese. Common contexts include discussing where someone lives (e.g., 我住在上海), describing a stay (e.g., 住酒店), or indicating that something has stopped or been fixed (e.g., 雨住了, meaning 'the rain has stopped').

📖 Grammar Points

住 often follows a location with 在 (e.g., 住在北京). It can be used as a resultative complement to indicate firmness or completion (e.g., 记住, to remember; 抓住, to grab hold). In negative forms, use 没住过 for experiences (e.g., 我没住过酒店).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, asking 你住在哪里? (Where do you live?) is common in social conversations, but it may imply interest in one's socioeconomic status based on location. In traditional contexts, 住 can relate to feng shui concepts of dwelling harmony.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 居 (jū), which also means 'to reside' but is more formal and often used in compounds (e.g., 居民, resident), 住 is more everyday and versatile. Unlike 停 (tíng, to stop), which is general, 住 can imply stopping in a fixed state (e.g., 抓住, to grab and hold).

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