Difference between 在 and 着?

[deathtrap]

Hi,

I've been doing some writing on lang-8.com, and a few times I've written a sentence with 着 after the verb but people keep correcting it by striking it out and replacing it with 在 before the verb.

For example,

I wrote "现在学习着《新实用汉语课本》第二卷。" but it was corrected as "现在正在学习《新实用汉语课本》第二卷。" and as "现在在学习着《新实用汉语课本》第二卷。"

Is there some nuance that I'm missing?

[muirm]

在/正在 is a better approximation of the English progressive tense than the verb + 著 construct (著 is the traditional form of 着). From my experience there are very few sentences that require the use of 著 (meaning you can often omit it), so my advice would be to use 在 by default, but pay attention to sentences you come across containing 著 so you can get a feel for when it is required.

[renzhe]

We had a thread about this some time ago, but I can't find it right now.

I think that the main difference was that 在 was more common with verbs describing action (such as studying or ) and 着 with verbs describing state (such as "hanging", "standing", etc. Yu Hua's "To Live" (活著)).

[SiMaKe]

@renzhe

Is this the discussion you were looking for?

Usage of 着 Help using zhe and zhao

[renzhe]

No, an older one. Can't find it now.

[SiMaKe]

@renzhe

This post provides a good overview.

Is this the one you were thinking of?

[renzhe]

Yes, that's the post I tried to explain badly.

[prettybaby1903]

i think 着emphasizes the statement, while 正在emphasizes the action. e.g. 外面下着雨,刮着风。(shows the weather condition and an environment) 外面正在下雨，你等一会儿再出去吧。(means something is happening.)

[deathtrap]

Thanks very much, especially for the link to the other thread. Great explanation.

[Altair]

i think 着emphasizes the statement, while 正在emphasizes the action.

I think you may have meant "state," rather than "statement."

My understanding is the same. Where other considerations do not apply, 着 emphasizes the persistence of a state, whereas （正）在 emphasizes the progression of an activity. I think that 着 also is used for things that are seen as in the background or acting as the backdrop for something else--for instance, setting the mood for a story; whereas （正）在 tends to describe things as being in the foreground. That is why 着 is particularly good in 外面下着雨,刮着风. It tells you what kind of day it is/was in which other activities are/were going to take place. 在, on the other hand, is good in 外面正在下雨，你等一会儿再出去吧。, because it focuses the listener on an activity that is relevant for immediate consideration.

By the way, what is the difference in meaning between:

"He is sitting in the kitchen."

1. 他坐在厨房里。

2. 他在厨房里坐着。

Does the first emphasize where the person is sitting, and the second emphasize what the person is doing in the kitchen?

If I want to ask: "Where is he sitting?" Could I say either:

3. 他坐在哪里？

or

4. 他在哪里坐着？

Or does only sentence 3 make sense?