荡 meaning and stroke order
Pond, pool; ripple, shake; to wash away, to wipe out
How to write 荡, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 荡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to wash
- to squander
- to sweep away
- to move
- to shake
- dissolute
How 荡 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Hot water 汤 wiping out plant life 艹; 汤 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 荡
Picture hot water 汤 (tāng) pouring over plants 艹 and washing them away. The 汤 on the bottom also hints at the sound, since 汤 and 荡 (dàng) rhyme.
荡 usually appears in two-character words rather than alone, with meanings around swaying, rippling, wandering, or sweeping things away. It is common in written and descriptive language, like 动荡 (dòngdàng) for social turmoil or 荡漾 (dàngyàng) for ripples on water. Example: 湖面上水波荡漾。(Húmiàn shàng shuǐbō dàngyàng.) Ripples spread across the surface of the lake.
Common mistake: Learners often write 汤 (tāng, soup) or 烫 (tàng, scalding) when they mean 荡, because all three share the 汤 part. Remember that only 荡 has the grass top 艹, and its tone is fourth tone dàng, not first tone like 汤.
Common words with 荡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 动荡 | dòngdàng | unrest (social or political); turmoil | HSK 7-9 |
| 空荡荡 | kōngdàngdàng | empty; deserted | HSK 7-9 |
| 晃荡 | huàngdang | to rock; to sway | HSK 7-9 |
| 荡漾 | dàngyàng | to ripple; to undulate | HSK 7-9 |
| 倾家荡产 | qīngjiā-dàngchǎn | to lose a family fortune (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 荡妇 | dàngfù | prostitute; floozy; slut | |
| 游荡 | yóudàng | to wander; to roam about | |
| 淫荡 | yíndàng | loose in morals; lascivious | |
| 放荡 | fàngdàng | licentious; wanton | |
| 脑震荡 | nǎozhèndàng | (med.) cerebral concussion | |
| 扫荡 | sǎodàng | (military) to mop up; to crack down on; to eradicate | |
| 回荡 | huídàng | to resound; to reverberate | |
| 震荡 | zhèndàng | to shake up; to jolt | |
| 飘荡 | piāodàng | to drift; to wave |
荡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 荡
How many strokes are in 荡?
荡 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 荡 mean?
荡 (dàng) means pond, pool; ripple, shake; to wash away, to wipe out. A common word with it is 动荡 (dòngdàng), meaning "unrest (social or political); turmoil".
How do you pronounce 荡?
荡 is pronounced dàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 荡?
The radical of 荡 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 荡 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 荡?
The traditional form of 荡 is 盪 and 蕩. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 荡 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 荡 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 荡 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 空荡荡 sometimes sound like kōngdāngdāng?
In reduplicated descriptive words like 空荡荡, the repeated syllables are often said in a lighter first tone in casual speech. The dictionary form is kōngdàngdàng, and both are commonly heard.
Does 荡 always have a negative meaning?
No. Words like 荡漾 (ripple) and 晃荡 (sway) are neutral or even poetic. But 荡妇 and 淫荡 describe sexual looseness and are insulting, so use them with care.