着
zhe
着 is a paused frame, not an action
The picture You hit pause on a video. The motion has stopped, but the picture stays up on the screen.
Where the picture shows up in 着
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left standing open
门开着，进来吧。
mén kāi zhe, jìnlái ba
The door is open, come on in.
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held in the hand
他手里拿着一杯咖啡。
tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yì bēi kāfēi
He has a cup of coffee in his hand.
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one picture behind another
她笑着说了声谢谢。
tā xiào zhe shuō le shēng xièxie
She said thanks with a smile.
The verb before 着 is only the backdrop; the verb after it is what she actually did, which is say thanks.
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keep it that way
等着，我马上来。
děng zhe, wǒ mǎshàng lái
Stay put, I will be right there.
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left lying there
桌子上放着一份合同。
zhuōzi shang fàng zhe yí fèn hétong
There is a contract lying on the desk.