升 (shēng) is a Chinese character meaning “to rise”. It is written from ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke), and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “to rise”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇒ + ㇐ + ㇒ + ㇑
Overlapping structure
- ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
Structure from: Unicode U+5347 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (four strokes: 撇 / 横 / 撇 / 竖)
Memory aid
A short left-falling stroke (㇒) tips upward at the top like a flag catching wind. A long horizontal (㇐) runs under it as the ground. Then a second left-falling stroke (㇒) and a vertical (㇑) drop down as two poles — push the flag up the poles and it rises.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 上升shàng shēngto rise; to go up; to ascend升 = shēng
- 升级shēng jíto upgrade; to move up a level升 = shēng
- 旭日东升xù rì dōng shēngthe morning sun rises in the east — a hopeful new beginning升 = shēng
- 晋升jìn shēngto be promoted (in rank or position)升 = shēng
Go deeper
All readings
to rise
to rise; to ascend; to be promoted to a higher level; also a unit of volume (liter)
由低处向高处移动；也指等级提高；还是容量单位。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 上升shàng shēngto rise; to go up; to ascend升 = shēng
- 升级shēng jíto upgrade; to move up a level升 = shēng
- 旭日东升xù rì dōng shēngthe morning sun rises in the east — a hopeful new beginning升 = shēng
- 晋升jìn shēngto be promoted (in rank or position)升 = shēng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 升 mean?
升 (shēng) means to rise; to ascend; to be promoted to a higher level; also a unit of volume (liter).
How do you pronounce 升?
It is pronounced shēng.
What parts is 升 made of?
㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke). The recorded source is: Unicode U+5347 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (four strokes: 撇 / 横 / 撇 / 竖). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 升 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 升?
十. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 升?
Common ones are 上升 and 升级. The reading of 升 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.