What does 乘 mean in Chinese?

乘 (chéng) means "to ride, to multiply" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 4.

How do you write 乘?

乘 is written with 10 strokes, starting from the 丿 (slash) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 乘?

The radical of 乘 is 丿 (slash, Kangxi radical #4). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 么, 丿.

How many strokes does 乘 have?

The Chinese character 乘 has 10 strokes.

What HSK level is 乘?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 乘 is a character to recognise at HSK 4.

乘 (chéng): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

乘

chéng

to ride, to multiply

HSK 4 character 10 strokes Radical: 丿 (slash)

Quick Answer

乘 (chéng) means "to ride, to multiply" with 10 strokes, radical 丿 (slash), HSK 4 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 乘 →Animated stroke-order for 乘 →

Pronunciation

chéng

Meaning

Primary: to ride

Other meanings:

to multiply

Etymology

A person riding a tree — to multiply, to ride

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Basic info

Pinyin	chéng
Meanings	to ride, to multiply
Stroke count	10 strokes
Radical	丿 (#4: slash)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 4
Frequency	#426 most common

Example sentences

我们乘坐地铁去机场。
Wǒmen chéngzuò dìtiě qù jīchǎng.
We take the subway to the airport.
From 乘坐 (HSK 4)
五乘以三等于十五。
Wǔ chéngyǐ sān děngyú shíwǔ.
Five multiplied by three equals fifteen.
From 乘 (HSK 4)
飞机上有三百名乘客。
Fēijī shàng yǒu sānbǎi míng chéngkè.
There are 300 passengers on the plane.
From 乘客 (HSK 4)

Words containing 乘

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
乘坐	chéngzuò	ride	HSK 4
乘	chéng	to ride, to multiply	HSK 4
乘客	chéngkè	passenger	HSK 4
乘务员	chéngwùyuán	attendant on plane/train/bus	HSK 5
乘机	chéngjī	to take advantage of, by plane