Meaning of 胜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- victory
- success
- to beat
- to defeat
- to surpass
- victorious
- superior to
- to get the better of
How to use 胜
胜 means to win or to beat, and it often appears in compounds like 胜利 (shènglì, victory) and 获胜 (huòshèng, to win). On its own it is common in sports scores and comparisons, as in 胜过 (shèngguò, to be better than). Example: 我们队三比一胜了。(Wǒmen duì sān bǐ yī shèng le.) Our team won three to one.
胜 is built from 月 (the flesh or body form) and 生 (shēng, to grow), which also hints at the sound shèng. Picture a body that keeps growing stronger until it beats every rival.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 胜 (shèng) with 生 (shēng) because they share a part and sound alike. 胜 has the fourth tone and the 月 side, while 生 is first tone. Another trap is saying 胜 a person directly in casual speech, where 赢 (yíng) or 打败 (dǎbài) sounds more natural.
胜 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.
胜 shèng · victory · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 胜.
| 胜利 | shènglì | victory |
| 战胜 | zhànshèng | to prevail over; to defeat |
| 胜负 | shèngfù | victory or defeat; the outcome of a battle |
| 名胜 | míngshèng | a place famous for its scenery or historical relics; scenic spot |
| 获胜 | huòshèng | to win |
| 胜任 | shèngrèn | qualified; competent (professionally) |
| 胜出 | shèngchū | to come out on top; to win (in an election, contest etc) |
| 取胜 | qǔshèng | to score a victory; to prevail over one's opponents |
| 引人入胜 | yǐnrén-rùshèng | to enchant; fascinating |
| 胜过 | shèngguò | to excel; to surpass |
| 胜利者 | shènglìzhě | victor; winner |
| 胜算 | shèngsuàn | odds of success; stratagem that ensures success |
Questions about 胜
What does 胜 mean?
胜 (shèng) means "victory; success" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 胜?
胜 is made of 1 character: 胜 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 胜 an HSK word?
Yes. 胜 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 胜 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 胜 is written 勝.
What is the difference between 胜 and 赢?
Both mean to win, but 赢 (yíng) is more colloquial and common in everyday talk, like 赢了比赛. 胜 sounds more formal or written and appears often in news, scores and set phrases like 胜利.
Why does 名胜 mean scenic spot if 胜 means to win?
胜 also carries the sense of superior or outstanding. So 名胜 (míngshèng) is literally a famous, superior place, which is why it refers to well known scenic or historic sites.