Meaning of 姓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- family name; surname
- to be surnamed ...
How to use 姓
姓 is most often used as a verb meaning "to be surnamed," and it comes before the surname itself. Example: 我姓王。(Wǒ xìng Wáng.) My surname is Wang. To ask someone's surname politely, say 您贵姓？(Nín guìxìng?)
姓 is made of 女 (nǚ, woman) and 生 (shēng, to be born). Think of it as the name you get from the woman who gave birth to you, your family name.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我的姓是王 or add 是 as in 我是姓王. The natural pattern is simply 我姓王, with 姓 acting as the verb. Also do not confuse 姓 (xìng) with 性 (xìng, nature, sex), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of 女.
姓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
姓 xìng · family name · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 姓.
Questions about 姓
What does 姓 mean?
姓 (xìng) means "family name; surname; to be surnamed ..." and is used as a noun and verb.
How do you write 姓?
姓 is made of 1 character: 姓 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 姓 an HSK word?
Yes. 姓 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I answer when someone asks 您贵姓？
Do not repeat 贵 for yourself, since it is an honorific. Just say 我姓李 (Wǒ xìng Lǐ) or 免贵姓李 (miǎn guì xìng Lǐ), a humble way to give your surname.
What is the difference between 姓 and 名字?
姓 is only the family name, while 名字 (míngzi) usually means the given name or the full name. In Chinese the surname comes first, so 王小明 has the surname 王 and the given name 小明.