折

• Pinyin: zhé
• Hanzi breakdown: 折 = 扌 (hand) + 斤 (axe), to chop or break by force

Meaning

To fold; to bend; to break by bending. Also used in business contexts to mean a discount (e.g. 打折).

In everyday use, 折 most commonly appears in 打折 (to offer a discount) and 折叠 (to fold). As a standalone verb it means to snap or bend something until it breaks. The measure-word sense (a fold, a crease) is less common at HSK 4 level. Context clarifies whether it means folding or discounting.

Examples

1. 这家店正在打折促销，所有商品八折出售。 This shop is having a sale — all items are being sold at 80% of the original price.
2. 他不小心把铅笔折成了两段。 He accidentally snapped the pencil into two pieces.
3. 她把信纸整齐地折成三折，装进了信封。 She neatly folded the letter paper into thirds and put it in the envelope.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, everyday, physical actions

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 那件外套现在打折，比原价便宜三百块。(That jacket is on sale now — three hundred yuan cheaper than the original price.)
• 把这张纸从中间折一下。(Fold this piece of paper in half.)

Don't Say

• 把'折'单独用于表示百分比折扣时不加'打' (Don't say 折 alone to mean 'at a discount' — always say 打折 or specify the discount level like 八折 (80% of original price))

Origin & History

An ancient character depicting a hand breaking a branch. The core meaning is to bend or snap something; the discount sense derives from the idea of reducing (folding down) a price.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal