Meaning of 赠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to give as a present
- to repel
- to bestow an honorary title after death (old)
How to use 赠
赠 is a formal, written word for giving a gift. In speech it usually appears in compounds like 赠送 (zèngsòng) or 赠品 (zèngpǐn) rather than alone. Example: 买一送一，还有赠品。(Mǎi yī sòng yī, hái yǒu zèngpǐn.) Buy one, get one free, and there is also a free gift.
赠 has 贝 (shell) on the left, and shells were once used as money, so it points to something of value. On the right is 曾 (céng), which gives the sound, so picture handing someone a valuable shell as a gift.
Common mistake: Learners often read 赠 as céng because of the 曾 part, but the correct reading is zèng with a fourth tone. Also do not write the left side as 目 or 见. It is 贝, the shell or money component.
赠 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.
赠 zèng · to give as a present · 16 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 赠.
Questions about 赠
What does 赠 mean?
赠 (zèng) means "to give as a present; to repel" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 赠?
赠 is made of 1 character: 赠 (16 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 赠 an HSK word?
Yes. 赠 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 赠 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 赠 is written 贈.
What is the difference between 赠 and 送?
送 (sòng) is the everyday word for giving something and can also mean to deliver or see someone off. 赠 is more formal and only means giving as a gift. It is common in writing, on signs, and in official contexts.
Where will I see 赠 in daily life?
You will often see 赠品 (zèngpǐn) in shops and ads for free items, and 捐赠 (juānzèng) for donations to charity. It also appears in book inscriptions, where 赠 is written before the name of the person receiving the book.