整理 meaning in English

zhěnglǐ

to arrange; to tidy up

HSK 3verb27 strokes

Meaning of 整理

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zhěnglǐ

to arrange
to tidy up
to sort out
to straighten out
to list systematically
to collate (data, files)
to pack (luggage)

How to use 整理

整理 is used for physical things like rooms, desks and luggage, and also for abstract things like notes, data and thoughts. 我要整理一下房间。(Wǒ yào zhěnglǐ yíxià fángjiān.) I need to tidy up my room.

整 (zhěng) means whole or in order, as in 整个 (zhěnggè) whole, and 理 (lǐ) means to put in order, as in 处理 (chǔlǐ) to handle. Put them together and you make something whole and orderly again: you tidy it up.

Common mistake: Learners often use 整理 for cleaning dirt, but it means arranging or organizing. For wiping and washing, use 打扫 (dǎsǎo) or 清理 (qīnglǐ). Also keep the tones right: zhěng is third tone and lǐ is third tone, so in speech the first becomes a rising tone, zhéng lǐ.

整理 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

你nǐ把bǎ床chuáng单dān收shōu起qǐ来lái，我wǒ整zhěng理lǐ一yī下xià床chuáng。

You put away the sheets, and I'll make the bed.

整zhěng理lǐ一yī下xià房fáng间jiān。

Tidy up the room.

我wǒ们men将jiāng要yào整zhěng理lǐ房fáng间jiān，这zhè样yàng妈mā妈mā就jiù会huì满mǎn意yì了le。

We will tidy up our room so that Mom is satisfied.

我wǒ一yì直zhí想xiǎng整zhěng理lǐ书shū桌zhuō。

I keep meaning to organize my desk.

我wǒ想xiǎng请qǐng你nǐ帮bāng我wǒ整zhěng理lǐ花huā园yuán。

I would like you to assist me with my gardening.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

整 zhěng · whole · 16 strokes

理 lǐ · texture · 11 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 整理.

道理	dàolǐ	reason; argument
经理	jīnglǐ	manager; director
理想	lǐxiǎng	an ideal; a dream
整个	zhěnggè	whole; entire
处理	chǔlǐ	to handle; to deal with; to punish
理解	lǐjiě	to comprehend; to understand
理由	lǐyóu	reason; grounds
整天	zhěngtiān	all day long; whole day
理论	lǐlùn	theory; to argue
管理	guǎnlǐ	to supervise; to manage
完整	wánzhěng	complete; intact
合理	hélǐ	rational; reasonable; sensible; fair

Questions about 整理

What does 整理 mean?

整理 (zhěnglǐ) means "to arrange; to tidy up" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 整理?

整理 is made of 2 characters: 整 (16 strokes), 理 (11 strokes). That is 27 strokes in total.

Is 整理 an HSK word?

Yes. 整理 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 整理 and 处理?

整理 means to put things in order or organize them. 处理 (chǔlǐ) means to deal with or handle a matter or problem, and it can even mean to punish someone. You 整理 your files, but you 处理 a complaint.

Can 整理 be used for packing a suitcase?

Yes. 整理行李 (zhěnglǐ xíngli) means to pack or sort out your luggage. It focuses on arranging things neatly, while 收拾 (shōushi) is a more casual everyday word for getting things packed or tidied.