生 Stroke Order — How to Write 生
生 is written in 5 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 生, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
生 Radical and Character Components
生 is an ideographic compound. A shoot 屮 growing in the soil 土.
Radical: 生 + 0 more strokes
生 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- shēng
Meanings of 生 in Chinese
1
shēng生
To be born; to grow; to develop and become larger from an initial state, as in 'birth', 'breed', or 'grow'.
幼苗在阳光雨露下茁壮生长。
The seedling grows vigorously under the sun and rain.
To produce, create, or generate something new.
这家公司成功生出了一款创新产品。
This company successfully produced an innovative product.
Living; life; vital; to be born.
珍惜生命，热爱生活，这是我们每个人都应该做的。
Cherish life and love living; this is what each of us should do.
A short form for living things; used in terms like 'all living beings', 'lose one's life', and 'hygiene'.
注意个人卫生很重要。
Paying attention to personal hygiene is very important.
Life, living; earning a living: livelihood, business.
他把这家小店的生意做得有声有色。
He made this small shop's business very lively and successful.
Refers to one's entire life or a specific life stage.
她一生都在追求艺术的最高境界。
She dedicated her entire life to pursuing the highest realm of art.
To generate, produce, or start (an emotion, state, or condition).
他因为一点小事就生气了。
He got angry over a trivial matter.
To light a fire; to ignite fuel.
我们去野餐，生火烤肉吃。
We're going on a picnic, and we'll light a fire to barbecue some meat.
Unripe; not fully mature (often referring to fruits or vegetables).
这西瓜有点生，再放两天吃吧
This watermelon is a bit unripe; let it sit for two more days before eating.
Uncooked or not thoroughly cooked; raw.
这水是生水，不能直接喝。
This water is raw, you cannot drink it directly.
Unfamiliar; unaccustomed; strange. Refers to things or people that are not known or encountered before, such as '生疏' (unfamiliar), '生客' (stranger), '生字' (new character), '陌生' (strange).
这个生字我不会读。
I don't know how to read this new character.
Unskilled; greenhorn; novice.
他第一次操作，有点生手，请多指教。
It's his first time operating it, he's a bit of a novice, please bear with him.
raw; crude; unprocessed (as in 'raw iron' or 'unrefined ore').
这种工厂主要生产生铁。
This factory mainly produces pig iron.
Stiff, blunt, or crude, especially in attitude or approach, lacking grace or refinement.
他的态度显得有些生硬，让人难以接近。
His attitude appears somewhat stiff, making it difficult for people to approach him.
Very; deeply (indicating intensity or degree, often associated with negative feelings or pain)
她生怕迟到，所以提早出门了。
She was deeply afraid of being late, so she left early.
A person who is currently learning; a student or disciple.
他是一名优秀的学生。
He is an excellent student.
Refers to a person with knowledge or professional skills, often used in job titles like 'doctor' or 'scholar'.
他是一位很有经验的医生。
He is a very experienced doctor.
In traditional Chinese opera, 'shēng' refers to various male roles, such as 'xiǎoshēng' (young male lead), 'lǎoshēng' (elderly male lead), or 'wǔshēng' (martial male lead).
这位演员很擅长演老生。
This actor is very skilled at playing the elderly male role (lǎoshēng).
Used as a word ending, typically after '好' (hǎo), to intensify or emphasize that an action should be performed carefully, properly, or thoroughly. It implies an exhortation or instruction to do something well.
你可得好生保管这份重要文件。
You really must take good care of this important document.
Common Words and Phrases with 生
1
To mechanically apply or copy without considering specific conditions.
学习知识不能生搬硬套，要学会灵活运用。
When learning knowledge, one should not rigidly or mechanically apply it; instead, one must learn to use it flexibly.
2
Trouble arises or an unexpected change occurs.
我们的旅行计划原本顺利，不料途中生变，只能暂时搁置。
Our travel plan was originally going smoothly, but an unexpected turn of events occurred midway, and we had to temporarily put it on hold.
3
4
Born at an unfortunate time; born under an unlucky star.
他感叹自己生不逢辰，空有一身抱负，却总是在关键时刻错失良机。
He lamented that he was born at an inauspicious time, possessing great ambitions yet always missing crucial opportunities at critical moments.
5
to make money; to generate wealth
小明通过学习新的技能，为自己开拓了生财之道
Xiao Ming has opened up a way to generate wealth for himself by learning new skills.
6
Skilled at making money; expert in business or accumulating wealth, sometimes implying resourcefulness or even questionable means.
小王凭借独特的经营理念，把他的咖啡店打理得有声有色，真是生财有道啊。
Xiao Wang, with his unique business philosophy, has managed his coffee shop very successfully; he truly has a knack for making money.
7
The way or means to make money or accumulate wealth; a path to prosperity.
现在网络平台为许多年轻人提供了新的生财之道。
Current online platforms offer many young people new avenues for wealth creation.
8
Lettuce, a leafy green vegetable often used in salads.
我喜欢在沙拉里放生菜，让它更清爽可口。
I like to add lettuce to my salad to make it more refreshing and delicious.
9
to produce, manufacture, or give birth
这家工厂每年生产数百万件玩具。
This factory produces millions of toys every year.
10
productive forces
提高生产力是企业持续发展的重要途径。
Increasing productivity is an important path for the sustained development of enterprises.
11
Birthday
今天是我的生辰，希望能和朋友们一起度过一个愉快的夜晚。
Today is my birthday, and I hope to spend a pleasant evening with my friends.
12
To produce or form something; to generate.
通过编程，我们可以快速生成各种报告。
Through programming, we can quickly generate various reports.
13
population
这个偏远的山村，多年来生齿繁衍，如今已是人丁兴旺
This remote mountain village, over many years, has seen its population grow, and now it is a thriving community.
14
15
A temple built for a living person, typically in ancient China.
为了感谢王医师对乡亲们的悉心照料，村民们共同出资为他修建了一座生祠。
To show their gratitude for Dr. Wang's meticulous care of the villagers, the community collectively funded the construction of a 'shengci' (a shrine for a living person) for him.
16
to cobble together; to scrape together; to make do with what's available
为了赶DDL，他不得不把一些旧材料生凑成一篇报告。
To meet the deadline, he had to cobble together a report from some old materials.
More words with 生
- mò陌shēng生Strange or unfamiliar; unknown.
- méng萌shēng生to sprout, to conceive
- chù畜shēng生Beast, Brute
- hūn婚shēng生born in wedlock, legitimate
- jīn今shēng生this life; the present life
- luǎn卵shēng生oviparous, egg-laying
- màn蔓shēng生creeping, trailing
- mò陌shēng生rén人stranger
- pà怕shēng生shy with strangers
- qī欺shēng生Bully newcomers, Haze new arrivals
- qiè怯shēng生shy (of strangers); bashful
- rèn认shēng生to be shy with strangers
- rú儒shēng生Confucian scholar
- tāi胎shēng生viviparous, viviparity
- wéi维shēng生sù素Vitamin
- yíng营shēng生To earn a living; livelihood.
- yǒng永shēng生Eternal life; immortality.
- zěn怎shēng生How; what; by all means
- zhòng众shēng生all living creatures
- zī孳shēng生to breed; to multiply
Idioms with 生
- shēng生bié别sǐ死lí离separation from loved ones by distance or death
- shēng生bù不féng逢shí时born at the wrong time
- shēng生bù不rú如sǐ死life is worse than death
- shēng生chén辰bā八zì字person's birth data for fortune-telling
- shēng生dàn旦jìng净chǒu丑various types of people or characters
- shēng生dòng动huó活po泼vivid and lively
- shēng生duó夺yìng硬qiǎng抢forcibly seize and snatch
- shēng生ér儿yù育nǚ女bear and raise children
- shēng生ér而zhī知zhī之born with innate knowledge
- shēng生huā花miào妙bǐ笔brilliant writing style
- shēng生huā花zhī之bǐ笔brilliant writing style
- shēng生jī机àng盎rán然full of vigor and vitality
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Open the tool →Questions about 生
What does 生 mean in Chinese?
生 (shēng) means “To be born” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 生?
生 is pronounced shēng in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 生 have?
生 has 5 strokes.
How do you write 生?
生 is written in 5 strokes, starting from the radical 生. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 生?
The radical of 生 is 生, and 生 is an ideographic compound.