生
Character learning workspace

shēng · life

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

Frequency #25
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 生

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 生 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

生
Complete decomposition unavailableThis character is currently indexed as a single visual form.
Writing notes

Shape and proportion

5Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Single bodyCharacter structure

Keep the whole form centered inside the writing square.

生Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 生 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 生

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

shēngWords pronounced shēng
shengWords pronounced sheng
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 生 sits in each complete thought.

Yǒu de, xiān shēng nǐ yǒu jǐ wèi?有的,先生你有几位?

Yes, there are. How many of you are there, Sir?

Source: Tatoeba #420438 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ jiù shì nàge shēng bìng de rén.我就是那个生病的人。

I'm the one who's sick.

Source: Tatoeba #7768243 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Shì de, wǒ yě shì xué shēng.是的,我也是学生。

Yes, I'm a student too.

Source: Tatoeba #2202377 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā huì chéngwéi yí gè hǎo de yī shēng de.他会成为一个好的医生的。

He will be a good doctor.

Source: Tatoeba #406344 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ de shēng rì mǎ shàng jiù yào dào le.我的生日马上就要到了。

My birthday approaches.

Source: Tatoeba #1870551 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ yàoshi méi chū shēng jiù hǎo le.你要是没出生就好了。

It would have been better if you'd never been born.

Source: Tatoeba #5555447 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 生 in context

  1. Say shēng, then recall the core meaning: life.
  2. Write all 5 strokes while keeping the single body balanced.
  3. Use it in 大学生 (dà xué shēng), meaning “university student”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 生 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.