结 jiē / jié — knot; sturdy; to bear (fruit); bond; to tie; to bind
这本小说的结尾很感人。Zhè běn xiǎo shuō de jié wěi hěn gǎn rén.The ending of this novel is very touching.
Common words: 结果 (jiē guǒ)、结束 (jié shù)、结婚 (jié hūn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to bind"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to bind", including 结 (jiē / jié), 束 (shù), 扎 (zhā / zā / zhá). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to bind" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 结 (jiē / jié), 束 (shù), 扎 (zhā / zā / zhá) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiē, jié, shù, zhā, zā, zhá — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 结 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 结 jiē / jiéknot; sturdy; to bear (fruit); bond; to tie; to bindUseful words: 结果, 结束
- 束 shùbunch; (a measure word); to bind; to controlUseful words: 结束, 约束
- 扎 zhā / zā / zháto tie; to bind; tie with string or ribbon; bind with rope or cord; to stop; to prickUseful words: 挣扎, 驻扎
Common words for these 3 "to bind" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 结 (jiē / jié) — so "to bind" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
结果jiē guǒto bear fruit结束jié shùtermination; to finish; to end; to conclude结婚jié hūnto marry; to get married结束jié shùtermination; to finish; to end; to conclude约束yuē shùto restrict; to limit to; to constrain; restriction束缚shù fùto bind; to tie up; to fetter; to shackle挣扎zhēng zháto struggle驻扎zhù zhāto station; to garrison (troops)扎实zhā shistrong; solid; sturdy; firm
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to bind".
束 shù — bunch; (a measure word); to bind; to control
他送给妈妈一束鲜花。Tā sòng gěi mā ma yí shù xiān huā.He gave his mom a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Common words: 结束 (jié shù)、约束 (yuē shù)、束缚 (shù fù)
扎 zhā / zā / zhá — to tie; to bind; tie with string or ribbon; bind with rope or cord; to stop; to prick
不小心被针扎了一下，手指有点儿疼。Bù xiǎo xīn bèi zhēn zhā le yí xià, shǒu zhǐ yǒu diǎnr téng.I accidentally got pricked by a needle, and my finger hurts a bit.
Common words: 挣扎 (zhēng zhá)、驻扎 (zhù zhā)、扎实 (zhā shi)
All 3 characters
Open 结、束、扎 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.