生 (shēng) means "to be born, life" with 5 strokes, radical 生 (life), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: to be born
Other meanings:
- life
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
Oracle bone forms show a young plant sprouting from the ground, with a single shoot rising above a horizontal line representing soil. Bronze inscriptions retain the same image, sometimes with a small dot or thickening at the base to emphasise the seed or root. The character is a pure pictograph of new growth.
Form evolution
The sprout-above-earth shape remained recognisable through bronze and small seal script, where the curving shoot was regularised into a vertical stroke with branching strokes at the top. Clerical script flattened and straightened these into the five-stroke form still used today. Modern 生 is essentially a schematic of the seal form with no further structural change.
How the meaning evolved
The original sense was 'to grow, to sprout', which extended naturally to 'to be born', 'to give birth', and 'life' itself. From there it picked up 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar' (the opposite of cooked or processed) and 'student, pupil' (one who is still growing). Modern Mandarin keeps all these senses active depending on compound.
Cultural note
The original agricultural image survives clearly in 生长 (to grow) and 花生 (peanut, literally 'flower-born'). Learners often confuse the 'raw' sense in 生肉 (raw meat) with the 'unfamiliar' sense in 陌生 (stranger), but both trace back to the same idea of something not yet processed or known.
Mnemonic
A sprout rising from the earth — life
Basic info
| Pinyin | shēng |
| Meanings | to be born, life |
| Stroke count | 5 strokes |
| Radical | 生 (#100: life) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #23 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 生
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 生 | shēng | to be born, life | HSK 4 |
| 先生 | xiānsheng | sir | HSK 1 |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor | HSK 1 |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student | HSK 1 |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday | HSK 2 |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | get ill, get sick | HSK 1 |
| 生气 | shēngqì | get angry | HSK 3 |
| 出生 | chūshēng | Birth | HSK 3 |
| 发生 | fāshēng | Happen | HSK 3 |
| 生活 | shēnghuó | Life | HSK 3 |
| 生命 | shēngmìng | life | HSK 4 |
| 生意 | shēngyi | business | HSK 4 |
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | toilet | HSK 3 |
| 产生 | chǎnshēng | produce | HSK 4 |
| 花生 | huāshēng | peanut | HSK 6 |
| 人生 | rénshēng | Life | HSK 4 |
| 生动 | shēngdòng | vivid | HSK 5 |
| 生长 | shēngzhǎng | grow | HSK 5 |
| 陌生 | mòshēng | strange | HSK 5 |
| 生产 | shēngchǎn | production | HSK 5 |
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.