趁着
chènzhe · HSK 7
while
⏰🏃 趁 = 走 run + 珍 precious — run while the moment is precious
The radical 走 (run) plus 珍 (precious) suggests rushing to seize a precious window. 着 marks the ongoing action, so 趁着 = while the chance still holds.
趁 — 走 'walk/run' + 㐱 phonetic
A semantic-phonetic compound: 走 (run, go) gives the meaning of moving or pursuing, while 㐱 (chěn) supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to chase after' or 'pursue,' which extended to 'take advantage of (a moment),' as in 趁机 'seize the chance.'
着 — sheep 羊 (top) + eye 目 (bottom)
着 originated as a variant of 著, which depicted plants emerging visibly above ground (grass radical 艹 over 者). Over time 着 split off to carry meanings like 'attach,' 'wear,' or a verb suffix marking ongoing action (zhe), while 著 kept senses like 'manifest' or 'author.'