Zhu was born in
Beijing, on 12 July 1924, to (1894–1972), an industrialist. He attended
Tianjin Yaohua High School. He graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering,
National Central University in 1947 before gaining a doctor's degree from the
University of California, Berkeley under direction of
William Francis Giauque. On 20 February 2024, he died of an illness in Beijing, at the age of 99. ==Honours and awards==