场 (chǎng) means "site, field" with 6 strokes, radical 土 (earth), HSK 2 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: site
Other meanings:
- field
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
场 (traditional 場) does not appear in oracle-bone script and is a later phono-semantic compound. It pairs 土 (earth, semantic) with 昜 (phonetic, also meaning 'sun rising / bright'), originally denoting a flat open piece of ground used for drying grain or holding rituals. The simplified form 场 replaces 昜 with the shorthand 㕣-like element 汤-top.
Form evolution
Seal script shows 土 on the left and the full 昜 component on the right, with its sun-over-altar structure still visible. Clerical and 楷书 preserve this as 場, the standard form in traditional script. The PRC simplification of 1956 reduced 昜 to a three-stroke element, producing modern 场, while Taiwan and Hong Kong retain 場.
How the meaning evolved
The earliest sense was a levelled plot of ground used for threshing grain or for sacrifices. It extended to any open arena (战场 battlefield, 市场 market) and then to occasions or events held in such spaces (一场电影 a film showing, 会场 meeting venue). Modern usage spans physical sites, measure-word uses for events, and abstract 'fields' such as 磁场 (magnetic field).
Cultural note
The measure-word use, as in 一场雨 (a spell of rain) or 一场梦 (a dream), carries a sense of bounded duration inherited from the original 'enclosed ground' meaning. Learners often miswrite the right side of the simplified form; the three strokes are 一 on top, then a hook and a slanting stroke, not the full 昜 of the traditional character.
Mnemonic
An open field of earth — a place, a field
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | chǎng |
| Meanings | site, field |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 土 (#32: earth) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #104 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 场
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport | HSK 2 |
| 场 | chǎng | site | HSK 4 |
| 操场 | cāochǎng | Playground | HSK 4 |
| 市场 | shìchǎng | market | HSK 4 |
| 广场 | guǎngchǎng | square | HSK 5 |
| 场合 | chǎnghé | situation, occasion | HSK 6 |
| 场景 | chǎngjǐng | scene, scenario | HSK 6 |
| 场面 | chǎngmiàn | scene, occasion | HSK 6 |
| 场所 | chǎngsuǒ | place, location | HSK 5 |
| 磁场 | cíchǎng | magnetic field | |
| 当场 | dāngchǎng | on the spot, right there | HSK 6 |
| 登场 | dēngchǎng | to go on stage | HSK 7-9 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 2 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.