Meaning of 治理
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to govern
- to administer
- to manage
- to control
- governance
How to use 治理
治理 is a formal word used for governing a country or region, or for tackling large problems like pollution, traffic, or flooding. It often takes objects such as 国家 (guójiā), 环境 (huánjìng), or 污染 (wūrǎn). Example: 政府正在治理河流污染。(Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài zhìlǐ héliú wūrǎn.) The government is cleaning up river pollution.
治 (zhì) has the water radical 氵, so picture taming a flooding river, and 理 (lǐ) means to put in order, like 处理 (chǔlǐ). Bring water and chaos into order and you have 治理, to govern or manage.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 治理 for everyday tasks, like managing a small shop or handling a single problem. For those, 管理 (guǎnlǐ) or 处理 (chǔlǐ) sounds natural, while 治理 suits large-scale public issues. Also keep the tone of 治 as fourth tone zhì, not zhī or zhǐ.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
治 zhì · to rule · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
理 lǐ · texture · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
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- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 治理.
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument |
| 经理 | jīnglǐ | manager; director |
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | an ideal; a dream |
| 处理 | chǔlǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish |
| 理解 | lǐjiě | to comprehend; to understand |
| 理由 | lǐyóu | reason; grounds |
| 理论 | lǐlùn | theory; to argue |
| 管理 | guǎnlǐ | to supervise; to manage |
| 整理 | zhěnglǐ | to arrange; to tidy up |
| 合理 | hélǐ | rational; reasonable; sensible; fair |
| 理发 | lǐfà | to get a haircut; to have one's hair done; to cut (sb's) hair; to give (sb) a haircut |
| 办理 | bànlǐ | to handle; to transact; to conduct |
Questions about 治理
What does 治理 mean?
治理 (zhìlǐ) means "to govern; to administer" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 治理?
治理 is made of 2 characters: 治 (8 strokes), 理 (11 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 治理 an HSK word?
Yes. 治理 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 治理 and 管理?
管理 (guǎnlǐ) is general management of people, companies, or things. 治理 is more formal and usually refers to governing society or fixing serious public problems such as pollution or desertification.
Can 治理 be used as a noun?
Yes. It can mean governance, as in 公司治理 (gōngsī zhìlǐ) corporate governance or 全球治理 (quánqiú zhìlǐ) global governance. This use is common in news and academic writing.