整理

• Pinyin: zhěng lǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 整 = 束 + 攵 + 正, meaning 'to put in order'; 理 = 王 (jade) + 里 (inside), originally meaning 'to polish jade,' now 'to manage'

Meaning

To tidy up; to organise; to sort out. Refers to putting things in order or arranging them neatly.

Used for both physical organising (整理房间 = tidy the room, 整理行李 = pack luggage) and abstract sorting (整理思路 = organise one's thoughts, 整理资料 = sort materials). More formal than 收拾, which is more colloquial.

Examples

1. 妈妈让我整理自己的房间。 Mom told me to tidy up my room.
2. 出发前别忘了整理行李。 Don't forget to pack your luggage before setting off.
3. 她花了一个小时整理会议的资料。 She spent an hour sorting out the meeting materials.

Usage Guide

Context: home, work, study

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 我需要整理一下桌子。(I need to tidy up the desk.)
• 请把这些文件整理好。(Please sort out these documents.)

Don't Say

• 我去整理一下垃圾。(For throwing away trash, use 扔 or 倒 — 整理 implies organizing, not discarding)

Origin & History

整 (to put in order) + 理 (to manage, to organize). Together: to arrange and manage things into order.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal