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Meaning Index

Chinese characters meaning "to harness"

Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to harness", including 治 (zhì), 驾 (jià). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…

How to Study This Meaning Group

The English word "to harness" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 治 (zhì), 驾 (jià) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhì, jià — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 治 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.

  • 治 zhìto rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); cureUseful words: 治疗, 政治
  • 驾 jiàto drive; to draw; to harness; to mountUseful words: 驾驶, 驾照

Common words for these 2 "to harness" characters

Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 治 (zhì) — so "to harness" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.

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 2 ways to say "to harness".

zhì — to rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); cure

医生治好了他的病。Yī shēng zhì hǎo le tā de bìng.The doctor cured his illness.

Common words: 治疗 (zhì liáo)、政治 (zhèng zhì)、治安 (zhì ān)

jià — to drive; to draw; to harness; to mount

他正在学习驾驶汽车。Tā zhèng zài xué xí jià shǐ qì chē.He is learning to drive a car.

Common words: 驾驶 (jià shǐ)、驾照 (jià zhào)、劳驾 (láo jià)

All 2 characters

Open 治、驾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.