生
shēng
- Pinyin
- shēng
- Pinyin (Plain)
- sheng
- Tone
- 1
- Strokes
- 5
- Radical
- 生
- Readings
- shēngshengTone: 1to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; raw; uncooked; studentOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 324 495 Q 328 502 332 509 Q 357 558 382 599 Q 392 615 375 630 Q 318 663 296 657 Q 283 654 287 638 Q 308 536 204 397 Q 200 396 160 342 Q 153 324 169 330 Q 188 334 213 357 Q 273 409 311 471 L 324 495 Z", "M 556 479 Q 748 518 754 521 Q 764 530 759 539 Q 752 552 721 561 Q 688 568 656 557 Q 607 544 558 529 L 500 516 Q 418 501 324 495 C 294 493 284 484 311 471 L 312 471 Q 351 447 432 459 Q 463 465 499 469 L 556 479 Z", "M 549 276 Q 702 307 710 313 Q 720 322 715 331 Q 708 344 676 353 Q 649 359 551 329 L 495 315 Q 428 303 347 295 Q 308 291 336 271 Q 378 244 484 265 Q 488 266 495 267 L 549 276 Z", "M 543 92 Q 546 186 549 276 L 551 329 Q 552 405 556 479 L 558 529 Q 567 718 580 760 Q 593 782 578 797 Q 538 828 506 838 Q 490 842 473 829 Q 467 820 474 808 Q 507 751 504 688 Q 503 604 500 516 L 499 469 Q 498 394 495 315 L 495 267 Q 492 179 492 86 C 492 56 542 62 543 92 Z", "M 492 86 Q 330 70 144 51 Q 119 48 137 27 Q 173 -9 220 1 Q 520 73 900 54 Q 901 54 904 54 Q 929 53 935 63 Q 942 78 922 95 Q 856 144 785 129 Q 688 113 543 92 L 492 86 Z"]
- Meaning
- The Chinese character “生” basically means “to be born, to give birth, or life itself,” and by extension it can mean “to grow” or “to live.” In everyday use it also often means “raw” or “uncooked” (like raw food), and sometimes “new” or “unfamiliar” (like a stranger or an unskilled person).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/23/2026, 9:39:14 PM
Usage
The character 生 (shēng) most basically means “to be born,” “to give birth,” or “to grow,” and by extension “life” or “living.” Learners first meet it in very common words like 学生 (xuésheng, “student”), 先生 (xiānsheng, “Mr.; husband”), 生日 (shēngrì, “birthday”), and 生活 (shēnghuó, “life; livelihood”). It also appears in basic verbs like 生病 (shēngbìng, “to fall ill”) and 生气 (shēngqì, “to get angry”), where it carries the idea of something arising or coming into being. In compound words, it often contributes meanings like “life,” “birth,” “growth,” or “raw.” On its own, 生 can function as an adjective meaning “raw” or “uncooked” (e.g., 生肉 “raw meat,” 生菜 “lettuce; literally ‘raw vegetable’”) and sometimes “unfamiliar” or “inexperienced” (e.g., 生疏 “rusty; not familiar”). It is also a common component in academic and professional terms: 医生 (yīshēng, “doctor”), 研究生 (yánjiūshēng, “graduate student”), and 人生 (rénshēng, “human life”). Overall, learners most often encounter 生 as part of high-frequency compound words, where it keeps a consistent core sense related to life, birth, or something not yet fully developed or processed.
Handwriting Notes
The character 生 in handwriting is usually written with a slightly tall, narrow shape, with a clear vertical “spine” and short horizontal strokes that cross or attach to it. Visually, you can think of it as a central vertical line, with one horizontal stroke toward the top, another crossing the middle, and a small “base” or angled stroke at the bottom. In everyday writing, people often simplify or angle the strokes: the vertical line may lean a bit, the horizontals can curve slightly or be uneven in length, and the bottom part may look more like a quick hook or short diagonal than a carefully drawn stroke. Some writers keep it very square and upright, while others write it more loosely and rounded, but it usually remains easy to recognize because of the stacked, “crossed” look of the horizontals on a single vertical. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such handwritten variations so they can still correctly identify 生 even when it is written quickly, sloppily, or in different personal styles.
Description
生 is a common Chinese character meaning “to be born,” “to grow,” “life,” or “raw.” It often appears in words about life and living things (学生 “student,” 生活 “life,” 生日 “birthday”). In modern writing, it is used both as an independent word and as a component in many compound words.
Common Words
- 生sheng1to be born
- 怎生zen3 sheng1how
- 怯生qie4 sheng1shy
- 新生xin1 sheng1new
- 生皮sheng1 pi2pelt
Example Sentences
我喜欢生。
wo3 xi3 huan5 sheng1
I like to be born.
怎生很常见。
zen3 sheng1 hen3 chang2 jian4
怎生 is very common.
我们在学习怯生。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 qie4 sheng1
We are learning shy.
这个新生很重要。
zhe4 ge5 xin1 sheng1 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This new is important.
请写一下“生”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 sheng1
Please write '生'.