撑 meaning and stroke order
To support; to prop up; to push or move with a pole
How to write 撑, stroke by stroke
15 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 撑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to support
- to prop up
- to push or move with a pole
- to maintain
- to open or unfurl
- to fill to bursting point
How 撑 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 掌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 撑
撑 (chēng) is a hand 扌 next to 掌 (zhǎng, palm), which gives the sound. Picture pressing your palm flat against something to hold it up, and you have "to prop up."
撑 is used for physically holding something up, for pushing a boat with a pole, for opening an umbrella, and for enduring a hard situation. It also describes eating until you are about to burst. Example: 我吃撑了。(Wǒ chī chēng le.) I ate way too much.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 尚 or 堂 and forget the 手 at the bottom of 掌, which already contains a hand. Also keep the tone flat: chēng is first tone, not chéng as in 成.
Common words with 撑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
撑 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 撑
How many strokes are in 撑?
撑 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 撑 mean?
撑 (chēng) means to support; to prop up; to push or move with a pole. A common word with it is 支撑 (zhīchēng), meaning "to prop up; to support".
How do you pronounce 撑?
撑 is pronounced chēng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 撑?
The radical of 撑 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 撑 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 撑?
The traditional form of 撑 is 撐. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 撑 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 撑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 撑 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say "open an umbrella" in Chinese?
Say 撑伞 (chēng sǎn) or 打伞 (dǎ sǎn). 撑 here means to open up and hold something spread out. 打伞 is more common in everyday speech, while 撑伞 sounds a little more descriptive.
What does 撑不住 mean?
撑不住 (chēng bu zhù) means "can't hold on any longer" or "can't keep it up," physically or emotionally. The positive form is 撑得住 (chēng de zhù). A related phrase is 撑下去 (chēng xiaqu), to keep going and endure.