盛 (shèng) is a Chinese character meaning “flourishing”. It is written from 成 (to become; to complete) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, chéng, which turns up in 盛饭 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “flourishing”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
成 + 皿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 盛，黍稷在器中以祀者也。从皿成声；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（成 6 画 + 皿 5 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
A dish (皿) filled until the job is complete (成): the bowl is piled full — abundant, flourishing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 茂盛mào shènglush; flourishing盛 = shèng
- 昌盛chāng shèngprosperous; flourishing盛 = shèng
Go deeper
All readings
flourishing; abundant
flourishing; prosperous; abundant; grand; popular
兴旺；繁茂；丰富；盛大。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 茂盛mào shènglush; flourishing盛 = shèng
- 昌盛chāng shèngprosperous; flourishing盛 = shèng
to fill (a bowl); to ladle
to fill (a container); to ladle out (food); to hold
把东西放进器具里；容纳。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 盛饭chéng fànto fill a bowl with rice盛 = chéng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 盛 mean?
盛 (shèng) means flourishing; prosperous; abundant; grand; popular.
How do you pronounce 盛?
Its main reading is shèng. It also has a second reading, chéng, which only shows up in certain words such as 盛饭 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 盛 sometimes pronounced chéng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 盛饭 it is read chéng.
What parts is 盛 made of?
成 (to become; to complete) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 盛，黍稷在器中以祀者也。从皿成声；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（成 6 画 + 皿 5 画 = 11 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 盛 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 盛?
皿. 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 盛?
Common ones are 茂盛 and 昌盛. The reading of 盛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.