剩 meaning and stroke order
To remain; to be left; to have as remainder
How to write 剩, stroke by stroke
12 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 剩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to remain
- to be left
- to have as remainder
- variant of 剩[sheng4]
How 剩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 乘 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 剩
剩 is built from 乘 (chéng), which gives the sound, and the knife radical 刂, which hints at the meaning. Picture a knife cutting a portion away, and what is left on the board is the remainder.
剩 means something is left over after the rest is used, eaten, or taken. It most often appears as 剩下 or before a noun like 剩菜 (shèngcài, leftovers). Example: 只剩下十块钱了。(Zhǐ shèng xia shí kuài qián le.) There are only ten yuan left.
Common mistake: Learners often write 剩 without the knife 刂, which turns it into 乘 (chéng, to ride, to multiply). The two also differ in tone and initial, so do not read 剩 as chéng.
Common words with 剩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
剩 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 剩
How many strokes are in 剩?
剩 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 剩 mean?
剩 (shèng) means to remain; to be left; to have as remainder. A common word with it is 剩下 (shèngxia), meaning "to remain; to be left over".
How do you pronounce 剩?
剩 is pronounced shèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 剩?
The radical of 剩 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 剩 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 剩?
The traditional form of 剩 is 賸. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 剩 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 剩 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 剩 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 剩下 and 剩余?
剩下 is the everyday spoken verb, as in 还剩下多少? (How much is left?). 剩余 is more formal and is often used as a noun or modifier, as in 剩余时间 (remaining time).
What does 剩女 mean?
剩女 (shèngnǚ) is a slang term for an unmarried woman past her late twenties, literally a leftover woman. Many people find it negative, so use it with care.