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正在

zhèngzài

A photograph snapped in the middle of the motion

The picture A turning wheel caught by the shutter mid-spin and held still right there. 正在 is the photo taken mid-action; 已经 is the scene after the action ended.

Adverbs and sound words

Where the picture shows up in 正在

  1. the middle of a meeting

    他正在开会,现在不能接电话。

    tā zhèng zài kāi huì, xiàn zài bù néng jiē diàn huà

    He is in a meeting and cannot take a call right now.

    People talking around a table behind glass while a hand outside cups the receiver

    The standard line for answering someone else's phone.

  2. the middle of a meal

    我正在吃饭,一会儿打给你。

    wǒ zhèng zài chī fàn, yí huìr dǎ gěi nǐ

    I am eating right now, I will call you in a bit.

    Chopsticks held in one hand while the other presses a phone to the ear

  3. the middle of a machine's work

    电脑正在更新,请不要关机。

    diàn nǎo zhèng zài gēng xīn, qǐng bú yào guān jī

    The computer is updating, please do not power it off.

    A progress bar half filled and a hand stopped short of the power button

  4. the middle of rain

    外面正在下雨,带伞吧。

    wài mian zhèng zài xià yǔ, dài sǎn ba

    It is raining outside, take an umbrella.

    Water running down a window pane and an umbrella held out in the hallway

    Weather sits very naturally with 正在.

  5. the middle of a consultation

    医生正在看病人,请坐下等。

    yī shēng zhèng zài kàn bìng rén, qǐng zuò xià děng

    The doctor is with a patient, please sit and wait.

    A lit lamp above a closed consulting room door, a hand offering the corridor chairs

All of it in one picture

正在 is a photo snapped mid-motion. Snap the middle of a meeting and it becomes the reason a call cannot be taken; snap the middle of a meal and it becomes a promise to ring back. Snap the middle of a machine and it becomes a warning not to switch off; snap the middle of rain and it becomes advice to take an umbrella; snap the middle of a consultation and it becomes an instruction to sit and wait. 正 is 'right at that time' and 在 is 'inside it' — together they make the middle.

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