Meaning of 直
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- straight
- to straighten
- fair and reasonable
- frank
- straightforward
- (indicates continuing motion or action)
- vertical
- vertical downward stroke in Chinese characters
- surname Zhi
- Zhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝[Yan2 di4] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shen2 nong2] Farmer God
How to use 直
直 (zhí) means straight or frank, and as an adverb it means directly or continuously, as in 一直 (yīzhí) and 直接 (zhíjiē). It often comes before a direction verb in giving directions. Example: 一直往前走。(Yīzhí wǎng qián zǒu.) Go straight ahead.
Look at the 目 (eye) in the middle of 直 with a stroke above it, like an eye sighting along a ruler to check that a line is straight. When your eye looks straight ahead, everything lines up.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 直 (zhí) with 真 (zhēn, real), which looks similar but has 八 at the bottom instead of a single horizontal line. Count the inner strokes too: 直 has three horizontal lines inside the eye part.
直 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
直 zhí · straight · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 直.
| 一直 | yīzhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 直接 | zhíjiē | directly; direct |
| 直到 | zhídào | until |
| 简直 | jiǎnzhí | simply; really |
| 直播 | zhíbō | (TV, radio) to broadcast live; live broadcast |
| 直线 | zhíxiàn | straight line; sharply (rise or fall) |
| 直升机 | zhíshēngjī | helicopter |
| 直觉 | zhíjué | intuition |
| 正直 | zhèngzhí | upright; upstanding |
| 直至 | zhízhì | lasting until; up till (the present) |
| 直奔 | zhíbèn | to go straight to; to make a beeline for |
| 直视 | zhíshì | to look straight at |
Questions about 直
What does 直 mean?
直 (zhí) means "straight; to straighten" and is used as a adjective, verb and adverb.
How do you write 直?
直 is made of 1 character: 直 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 直 an HSK word?
Yes. 直 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 一直 and 直接?
一直 (yīzhí) means continuously, always, or straight on, as in 他一直很忙 (He has always been busy). 直接 (zhíjiē) means directly, without a middle step, as in 直接问他 (ask him directly).
Can 直 describe a person's personality?
Yes. 他很直 (Tā hěn zhí) means he is very frank or blunt. You will also hear 直性子 (zhíxìngzi), a straightforward person, and 正直 (zhèngzhí), honest and upright.