zhēn

桢

Character · NounTraditional楨

pillar; post; surname

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 4 examples
1.

noun

pillar; post used in ancient wall construction

archaic

Refers to the wooden posts used as vertical frames when building earthen walls in ancient Chinese architecture. Often appears in literary or historical contexts.

Gǔ古
dài代
zhù筑
qiáng墙
shí时
 ，
liǎng两
duān端
lì立
de的
mù木
zhù柱
chēng称
wéi为
zhēn桢
 。

In ancient times, the wooden posts erected at both ends when building walls were called zhen.

Zhēn桢
gàn干
shì是
gǔ古
dài代
jiàn建
zhù筑
zhōng中
zhòng重
yào要
de的
zhī支
chēng撑
jié结
gòu构
 。

The pillars and posts were important supporting structures in ancient architecture.

2.

noun

surname Zhen

neutral

Used as a family name. Relatively uncommon surname in Chinese.

Zhēn桢
xiān先
sheng生
shì是
yī一
wèi位
yán研
jiū究
gǔ古
dài代
jiàn建
zhù筑
de的
zhuān专
jiā家
 。

Mr. Zhen is an expert on ancient architecture.

Wǒ我
xìng姓
Zhēn桢
 ，
míng名
jiào叫
Zhēn桢
guó国
 。

My surname is Zhen, and my given name is Zhenguo.