圣 meaning and stroke order
Holy, sacred; sage, saint
How to write 圣, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 5
Meaning of 圣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) to dig with persistent effort (e.g. to gather wild vegetables)
- (bound form) peerless (in wisdom, moral virtue, skill etc)
- (bound form) peerless individual; paragon (sage, saint, emperor, master of a skill etc)
- (bound form) holy; sacred
- variant of 聖|圣[sheng4]
How 圣 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 聖; a king 王 of listening 耳 and speaking口.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 圣
圣 is a hand 又 placed on the earth 土, like someone touching sacred ground. Its traditional form 聖 shows a king 王 who is good at listening 耳 and speaking 口, which is what a sage does.
圣 (shèng) rarely stands alone and appears in words about holiness, sages, and religion, such as 圣人 (shèngrén) and 神圣 (shénshèng). The most common everyday word is Christmas: 圣诞节快乐 (Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè) Merry Christmas.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 圣 with 怪 (guài, strange), which has the same 又 over 土 part but adds the heart radical 忄 on the left. Also keep the fourth tone: shèng, not shēng like 生 or 声.
Common words with 圣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 圣诞节 | Shèngdàn Jié | Christmas time; Christmas season | HSK 6 |
| 神圣 | shénshèng | divine; hallow | HSK 7-9 |
| 圣贤 | shèngxián | a sage; wise and holy man | HSK 7-9 |
| 圣母 | Shèngmǔ | goddess | |
| 圣人 | shèngrén | sage; the Sage (i.e. Confucius) | |
| 圣地 | shèngdì | holy land (of a religion); sacred place | |
| 圣徒 | shèngtú | saint | |
| 圣洁 | shèngjié | pure and holy | |
| 圣殿 | shèngdiàn | temple | |
| 圣战 | shèngzhàn | Holy war; jihad | |
| 圣城 | shèngchéng | Holy City | |
| 圣杯 | shèngbēi | Holy Grail | |
| 朝圣者 | cháoshèngzhě | pilgrim | |
| 圣水 | shèngshuǐ | holy water |
圣 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 圣
Learning 圣 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 圣
How many strokes are in 圣?
圣 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 圣 mean?
圣 (shèng) means holy, sacred; sage, saint. A common word with it is 圣诞节 (Shèngdàn Jié), meaning "Christmas time; Christmas season".
How do you pronounce 圣?
圣 is pronounced shèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 圣?
The radical of 圣 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 圣 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 圣?
The traditional form of 圣 is 聖. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 圣 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 圣 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 圣 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 圣 have the reading kū?
In literary Chinese, 圣 read as kū was once a separate character meaning to dig with effort. It later became the simplified form of 聖, so today you will almost always read it as shèng.
Is 圣 used for Christian saints?
Yes. It is placed before names, as in 圣保罗 (Shèng Bǎoluó) Saint Paul, and 圣徒 (shèngtú) means saint in general. It is also used for Confucius, called 圣人 (shèngrén), the Sage.