鍾 meaning and stroke order
Cup, glass, goblet; surname
How to write 鍾, stroke by stroke
17 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 鍾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- handleless cup; goblet
- (bound form) to concentrate (one's affection etc)
- variant of 鐘|钟[zhong1]
How 鍾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 重 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鍾
鍾 is built from 釒 (metal) on the left and 重 (zhòng, heavy) on the right, which also hints at the sound. Picture a heavy metal goblet, solid and weighty in your hand.
Today 鍾 is mostly seen as a surname and in the sense of concentrating one's affection, as in 鍾愛 (zhōng'ài, to treasure). In simplified Chinese it is written 钟, the same as 'clock' or 'bell'. Example: 他們一見鍾情。(Tāmen yījiànzhōngqíng.) They fell in love at first sight.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 鍾 with 鐘. In traditional writing 鐘 is the clock or bell, while 鍾 is the cup, the surname, and the 'concentrated affection' sense, though both simplify to 钟. Also do not read the 重 part as zhòng or chóng here. The whole character is first tone zhōng.
Common words with 鍾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一見鍾情 | yījiànzhōngqíng | to fall in love at first sight (idiom) | |
| 鍾愛 | zhōng'ài | to treasure; to be very fond of |
Questions about 鍾
How many strokes are in 鍾?
鍾 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鍾 mean?
鍾 (zhōng) means cup, glass, goblet; surname. A common word with it is 一见钟情 (yījiànzhōngqíng), meaning "to fall in love at first sight (idiom)".
How do you pronounce 鍾?
鍾 is pronounced zhōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鍾?
The radical of 鍾 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鍾 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鍾?
鍾 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 钟, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is the surname Zhong written 鍾 or 鐘 in traditional Chinese?
The surname is normally written 鍾, for example 鍾先生 (Zhōng xiānsheng). In simplified Chinese both become 钟, so the difference only shows in traditional texts.
Why does 一见钟情 use the character for 'clock'?
It does not really mean clock. In this idiom 钟 comes from 鍾, meaning to concentrate one's feelings, so the phrase means your feelings gather on someone at first sight.