承

chéng to bear; to carry on

8 strokes

承 (chéng) is a Chinese character meaning “to bear”. It is written from ㇇ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇚ (vertical stroke with hook) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇇ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇏ (falling-right stroke), and takes 8 strokes.

Build the character for “to bear; to carry on”

Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.

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Learn this character

Structure

㇇ + ㇚ + ㇐ + ㇐ + ㇐ + ㇇ + ㇒ + ㇏

Overlapping structure

  • ㇇ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
  • ㇚ vertical stroke with hook unknown
  • ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
  • ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
  • ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
  • ㇇ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
  • ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
  • ㇏ falling-right stroke unknown

Structure from: Unicode U+627F; modern stroke decomposition checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (stroke 1 is a 横撇 ㇇ over the hooked vertical ㇚ of stroke 2; strokes 3-5 are three 横 ㇐ crossing it; stroke 6 is a second 横撇 ㇇ on the left; strokes 7-8 are the 撇 ㇒ and 捺 ㇏ on the right). Historical composition not asserted.

Memory aid

A hooked vertical (㇚) runs down the middle under its 横撇 (㇇), three flat strokes (㇐) are laid across it like a load, and a second 横撇 (㇇) on the left plus the 撇 (㇒) and 捺 (㇏) on the right prop it up from both sides: 承 is something held up and carried on.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

8 strokes

In real words

  • 承认chéng rènto admit; to acknowledge承 = chéng
  • 承担chéng dānto bear; to undertake (a responsibility)承 = chéng
  • 秉承bǐng chéngto carry on (a tradition); to act on (instructions)承 = chéng
  • 承诺chéng nuòto promise; a promise; commitment承 = chéng
  • 继承jì chéngto inherit; to carry on (a legacy)承 = chéng
Go deeper

All readings

chéng main reading

to bear; to carry on

to bear; to hold up; to undertake; to accept; to carry on from what came before

托住、担当;也表示接受下来并把前面的事物延续下去。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 承认chéng rènto admit; to acknowledge承 = chéng
  • 承担chéng dānto bear; to undertake (a responsibility)承 = chéng
  • 秉承bǐng chéngto carry on (a tradition); to act on (instructions)承 = chéng
  • 承诺chéng nuòto promise; a promise; commitment承 = chéng
  • 继承jì chéngto inherit; to carry on (a legacy)承 = chéng

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 承 mean?

承 (chéng) means to bear; to hold up; to undertake; to accept; to carry on from what came before.

How do you pronounce 承?

It is pronounced chéng.

What parts is 承 made of?

㇇ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇚ (vertical stroke with hook) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇇ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇏ (falling-right stroke). The recorded source is: Unicode U+627F; modern stroke decomposition checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (stroke 1 is a 横撇 ㇇ over the hooked vertical ㇚ of stroke 2; strokes 3-5 are three 横 ㇐ crossing it; stroke 6 is a second 横撇 ㇇ on the left; strokes 7-8 are the 撇 ㇒ and 捺 ㇏ on the right). Historical composition not asserted.. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 承 have?

8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 承?

手. 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 承?

Common ones are 承认 and 承担. The reading of 承 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.