懲 meaning and stroke order
To discipline, to punish, to reprimand, to warn
How to write 懲, stroke by stroke
19 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 懲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to punish
- to reprimand
- to warn
How 懲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 徴 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 懲
懲 is built from 徴 on top, which gives the sound, and 心 (xīn, heart) underneath, which gives the meaning. Think of a punishment that is meant to reach the heart, so the person feels it and learns a lesson.
懲 is the traditional form of 惩 and rarely stands alone. It appears in formal words about punishment and discipline, such as 懲罰 (chéngfá) and 嚴懲 (yánchéng). Example: 他受到了懲罰。(Tā shòudào le chéngfá.) He was punished.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as zhēng because of the top part 徵 (zhēng, to levy), but 懲 is read chéng with a second tone. Also, do not drop the 心 at the bottom, or you end up writing 徵 instead.
Common words with 懲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 懲
How many strokes are in 懲?
懲 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 懲 mean?
懲 (chéng) means to discipline, to punish, to reprimand, to warn. A common word with it is 惩罚 (chéngfá), meaning "penalty; punishment".
How do you pronounce 懲?
懲 is pronounced chéng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 懲?
The radical of 懲 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 懲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 懲?
懲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 惩, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 懲 used in mainland China?
Mainland China uses the simplified form 惩, so you will see 惩罚 and 惩处 there. 懲 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and in traditional texts.
What is the difference between 懲罰 and 處罰?
Both mean to punish. 懲罰 stresses punishment as a lesson or warning, while 處罰 (chǔfá) is more neutral and often used for official penalties like fines.