凑 meaning and stroke order
To gather together, pool or collect; to happen by chance; to move close to
How to write 凑, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 凑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to gather together, pool or collect
- to happen by chance
- to move close to
- to exploit an opportunity
How 凑 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ice.
冫 gives the meaning and 奏 hints at the sound.
Radical: 冫 (ice), shared by 26 characters on this site.
How to remember 凑
凑 is built from 冫 (ice) on the left and 奏 (zòu) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture bits of ice drifting together and clumping into one piece, like people pooling things to make a whole.
凑 means to gather or pool things, to move closer, or to happen by chance, and it often appears in words like 凑合 (còuhe), 凑巧 (còuqiǎo) and 凑齐 (còuqí). Example: 我们凑钱买了一个蛋糕。(Wǒmen còu qián mǎi le yí gè dàngāo.) We pooled our money to buy a cake.
Common mistake: Learners often read 凑 as zòu because of the phonetic part 奏. The correct sound is còu. Also, the left side has two dots 冫, not three dots 氵. The traditional form 湊 uses three dots, which adds to the confusion.
Common words with 凑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
凑 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 凑
How many strokes are in 凑?
凑 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 凑 mean?
凑 (còu) means to gather together, pool or collect; to happen by chance; to move close to. A common word with it is 凑合 (còuhe), meaning "to bring together; to make do in a bad situation".
How do you pronounce 凑?
凑 is pronounced còu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 凑?
The radical of 凑 is 冫, which carries the idea of "ice". Dictionaries list 凑 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 凑?
The traditional form of 凑 is 湊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 凑 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 凑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 凑 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 凑合 mean in everyday speech?
凑合 (còuhe) often means to make do or get by with something that is not ideal. For example, 这件衣服旧了，凑合穿吧。(Zhè jiàn yīfu jiù le, còuhe chuān ba.) means This shirt is old, but just make do with it.
How do you use 凑 to mean moving closer?
Use 凑 with 近 or 过来/过去 to describe leaning or moving close to someone or something. For example, 他凑过来看我的手机。(Tā còu guòlái kàn wǒ de shǒujī.) means He leaned over to look at my phone.