生(shēng)

HSK 15 strokes

to be born

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Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
shēng
Meaning
to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; raw; uncooked; student
Strokes
5
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 生 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿻一土

 A shoot 屮 growing in the soil 土

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

一yī土tǔ

Parts are arranged overlaid.

How to write 生 step by step

5 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Words with 生

Common words using 生 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

zhōng中xué学shēng生
HSK 1

middle-school student

Open 中学生 page →
xiān先shēng生
HSK 1

teacher

Open 先生 page →
yī一shēng生
HSK 2

all one's life; throughout one's life

Open 一生 page →
rén人shēng生
HSK 3

life (one's time on earth)

Open 人生 page →
hù互shēng生

alternate leaf arrangement (botany)

Open 互生 page →
yī一shēng生yī一shì世

a whole lifetime (idiom); all my life

Open 一生一世 page →
yī一xiàn线shēng生jī机

(idiom) a chance of survival; a fighting chance; a ray of hope

Open 一线生机 page →
qī七qiào窍shēng生yān烟

lit. spouting smoke through the seven orifices (idiom)

Open 七窍生烟 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 生’s common words

中学先一人互世线

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