蒸 meaning and stroke order
To evaporate; (of cooking) to steam; torch made from hemp stalks or bamboo (old)
How to write 蒸, 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 蒸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to evaporate
- (of cooking) to steam
- torch made from hemp stalks or bamboo (old)
- finely chopped firewood (old)
How 蒸 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Steam 烝 provides the meaning and sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 蒸
The bottom part 烝 (zhēng) already means steam, and it gives both the meaning and the sound. Add the grass radical 艹 on top and picture leafy vegetables sitting above a pot of rising steam.
蒸 is the everyday verb for steaming food, as in 蒸饺子 (zhēng jiǎozi, to steam dumplings) or 蒸鱼 (zhēng yú, steamed fish). It also appears in science words like 蒸发 (zhēngfā, to evaporate). Example: 妈妈在厨房蒸包子。(Māma zài chúfáng zhēng bāozi.) Mom is steaming buns in the kitchen.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the grass radical and write only 烝, or mix up the middle of 烝 when copying it. Also keep the tone first and level: zhēng, not zhèng as in 正 (zhèng).
Common words with 蒸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
蒸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蒸
How many strokes are in 蒸?
蒸 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 蒸 mean?
蒸 (zhēng) means to evaporate; (of cooking) to steam; torch made from hemp stalks or bamboo (old). A common word with it is 蒸汽 (zhēngqì), meaning "steam".
How do you pronounce 蒸?
蒸 is pronounced zhēng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 蒸?
The radical of 蒸 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 蒸 under this radical.
Is 蒸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 蒸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 蒸汽 and 蒸气?
Both are read zhēngqì. 蒸汽 usually means steam from boiling water, as in 蒸汽机 (zhēngqìjī, steam engine). 蒸气 is the broader word for vapor of any substance.
What does 人间蒸发 mean when people say it about a person?
It literally means to evaporate from the human world. People use it for someone who suddenly vanishes and cuts off all contact, like saying they disappeared off the face of the earth.