8 Usages Of 正: From Tallying To Being Gorgeous

I was baffled when I first saw my teacher draw vertical lines on the board as she counted the votes for our classroom activity one day. When she had five votes, she added a diagonal line on the board. Then she started drawing vertical lines again. It took me a few seconds before I realized that it was the tally system used in the U.S among other counties. Although it was a brief moment when I realized what it was, the fascination lasted a long time.

Instead of using four lines and a diagonal line to count things, we use the Chinese character 正 (zhèng) to tally. In this article, we are going to explore how 正 works as tally marks and then I’ll give seven additional usages of 正 so you can use 正 in your daily conversation as well.

U.S. tally system

正 used for tallying

The Chinese character “正” is made up of five strokes, which is perfect for counting. Each 正 represents five counts [of something]. When you are learning characters, it is important to make sure you have the right stroke order. The stroke order becomes even more important when you are using 正 to count.

The stroke order of 正 (this is how it is used as well):

The top part shows the tally mark system used outside of China.
The bottom part shows the tally mark system used in China.

Example sentences:

“正在” as an Emphasis

Besides being used for tallying, 正 can also be used in a sentence to express slightly stronger emphasis that the action is in progress. You will not be able to notice this subtle difference in translation since the translation will be the same. However, if you read the Chinese sentence, then the character 正 gives the action in progress a slightly stronger emphasis. To use 正 this way, we put 正 right before 在 - 正在.

Example sentences:

But what if you don’t tally often or don’t usually need to emphasize the action in progress? No worries, I have you covered. I have picked five common words with 正 that have come up in my conversational classes.

1. 正好 as Just Right

正好 can be used as an adjective or an adverb to indicate something is “just right”.

If you are talking about 1 RMB, you are likely not going to get the best quality ice cream. But hey, something is better than nothing, right?

2. 正常 as in Normal

As you gain more experience, you will notice some common patterns. When something is not right, you will know that it is not 正常.

3. 正版 as in Genuine

Before streaming became popular, you would see street vendors selling DVDs. As to whether they are legit or not, you can ask the following question (say this at your own risk):

4. 正宗 as in Authentic

The food which you eat in Chinese restaurants in the U.S. are often modified to suit the tastes of locals. It is not as salty nor as spicy as the ones you might taste in China or homemade Chinese food. Some people label those dishes as non-authentic Chinese food. But since I am a foodie so I love both!

5. 正确 as in Correct

As much as we love to be correct all the time, it is ok if we happen to make mistakes! Sometimes we learn more from those mistakes.

正 as in Gorgeous

I love adding material that is not presented in traditional textbooks to enrich my students’ cultural awareness. There are a lot of interesting phrases that we use in real life that are often not presented in textbooks.

Another meaning of 正 is gorgeous, usually used to describe women. I usually recommend using 漂亮 to describe someone who is pretty, but 正 is commonly used in real life, so I always want to make sure my students are aware of this term.

 Example:

正 is an excellent example of how learning a character can be really fun. We have covered eight meanings of 正: the character can be used for counting, to being normal, and to express that someone is gorgeous! I personally adore 正 as the tally mark because I love characters. Which meaning of 正 do you like the most? Why? Comment below.

Hero image by Hisu lee (CC0 1.0)