赠 meaning and stroke order
To give as a present; to repel; to bestow an honorary title after death (old)
How to write 赠, stroke by stroke
16 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 赠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to give as a present
- to repel
- to bestow an honorary title after death (old)
How 赠 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 曾 hints at the sound.
Radical: 贝 (sea shell), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 赠
On the left is 贝 (bèi), a shell that stood for money and valuables, and on the right is 曾 (céng), which gives the sound. Picture handing over something valuable as a gift, and 曾 reminds you it is said zèng.
赠 is a formal word for giving, mostly seen in compounds like 赠送 (zèngsòng), 捐赠 (juānzèng) and 赠品 (zèngpǐn). In everyday speech people usually say 送 (sòng) instead. Example: 买一送一，还有赠品。(Mǎi yī sòng yī, hái yǒu zèngpǐn.) Buy one get one free, plus a free gift.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 赠 (zèng) with 增 (zēng, to increase), which has the same 曾 sound part but uses 土 on the left and a first tone. Remember that gifts involve value, so 赠 takes 贝.
Common words with 赠
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
赠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 赠
How many strokes are in 赠?
赠 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 赠 mean?
赠 (zèng) means to give as a present; to repel; to bestow an honorary title after death (old). A common word with it is 赠送 (zèngsòng), meaning "to present as a gift".
How do you pronounce 赠?
赠 is pronounced zèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 赠?
The radical of 赠 is 贝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 赠 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 赠?
The traditional form of 赠 is 贈. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 赠 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 赠 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 赠 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 赠送 and 送?
Both mean to give as a gift, but 赠送 is more formal and common in writing, ads and official settings. 送 is the everyday spoken choice and also means to deliver or see someone off.
How do I write a dedication like 'presented to' in Chinese?
On a gift, book or photo you can write 赠 after the giver's name, or use the phrase 敬赠 (jìngzèng), meaning respectfully presented. For example, 王老师惠存，李明敬赠 is a polite formal inscription.