聖 meaning and stroke order
Holy, sacred; sage, saint
How to write 聖, stroke by stroke
13 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 聖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (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
How 聖 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A ruler 王 who speaks 口 and listens 耳.
Radical: 耳 (ear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 聖
The top has an ear 耳 (ěr) and a mouth 口 (kǒu) sitting above a king 王 (wáng). A true sage is a ruler who listens well and speaks wisely, so 聖 means holy or sage.
聖 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 聖人 (shèngrén, sage), 神聖 (shénshèng, sacred) and 聖誕節 (Shèngdàn Jié, Christmas). It also comes before names of saints and holy places. Example: 聖誕節快樂。(Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè.) Merry Christmas.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 取 or squeeze 耳 and 口 out of order. The ear 耳 is on the left and the mouth 口 is on the right, both sitting on 王. Also keep the fourth tone in shèng, not shēng as in 生.
Common words with 聖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 聖誕節 | Shèngdàn Jié | Christmas time; Christmas season | HSK 6 |
| 神聖 | shénshèng | divine; hallow | HSK 7-9 |
| 聖賢 | shèngxián | a sage; wise and holy man | HSK 7-9 |
| 聖母 | Shèngmǔ | goddess | |
| 聖人 | shèngrén | sage; the Sage (i.e. Confucius) | |
| 聖地 | shèngdì | holy land (of a religion); sacred place | |
| 聖徒 | shèngtú | saint | |
| 聖潔 | shèngjié | pure and holy | |
| 聖殿 | shèngdiàn | temple | |
| 聖戰 | shèngzhàn | Holy war; jihad | |
| 聖城 | shèngchéng | Holy City | |
| 聖杯 | shèngbēi | Holy Grail | |
| 朝聖者 | cháoshèngzhě | pilgrim | |
| 聖水 | shèngshuǐ | holy water |
Questions about 聖
How many strokes are in 聖?
聖 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 聖 mean?
聖 (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 聖?
聖 is pronounced shèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 聖?
The radical of 聖 is 耳, which carries the idea of "ear". Dictionaries list 聖 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 聖?
聖 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 圣, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 圣 look so different from 聖?
圣 is the simplified form used in mainland China, and 聖 is the form used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and older texts. They are the same character with the same meaning and pronunciation, so 聖誕節 and 圣诞节 are the same word.
How do you say Saint before a name, like Saint Peter?
Put 聖 before the name, as in 聖彼得 (Shèng Bǐdé, Saint Peter). The same pattern works for places, such as 聖地 (shèngdì, holy land).