寵 (chǒng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

寵

chǒng[chong3]Tone 3

to pamper

HSK 6

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宠

Guru Deep Dive

English · to pamper

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The roof component (宀) must crown the character widely and gracefully, while the lower part (龙) is centered snugly underneath without crowding.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 寵 uses 龍 for the phonetic/lower component, which was simplified to 龙 in the modern mainland character.

1. Meaning

to pamper, to spoil, to favor

pet (as in 宠物 chǒngwù)

Verb / AdjectiveNeutral#emotion#relationships#behavior

Sample Usage

父母很宠爱他。
fùmǔ hěn chǒng ài tā.
His parents dote on him very much.
我养了一只宠物猫。
wǒ yǎng le yī zhī chǒngwù māo.
I keep a pet cat.

2. Sound

/[ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

寵

chǒngchong3

ˇ(214)

=chǒng

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: ch sound with retroflex tongue curl

AspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Both curled tongue AND explosive puff of air! Tissue MUST fly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

ong

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: ong rhymes with rung

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, similar to saying 'What?' in disbelief or questioning a low pitch before rising.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone, chǒng changes to a 2nd tone (chóng).

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the retroflex initial 'ch-' with the alveolar aspirated 'c-' (which sounds like 'ts').

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, dip low down to your chest, and sweep back up to the right.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The roof component (宀) must crown the character widely and gracefully, while the lower part (龙) is centered snugly underneath without crowding.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 寵 uses 龍 for the phonetic/lower component, which was simplified to 龙 in the modern mainland character.

4. Components

Radical 宀 · Roof Radical (roof, shelter, house)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 宀 (Denotes a home or enclosure where one is kept safe and doted upon)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 龙 (original sound: long / chong)

A dragon (龙) kept sheltered under a roof (宀) is treated like a precious, pampered treasure.

宀 Roof / House
龙 Dragon

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

13· Phonetic Root: 龍 ()

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined a shelter (宀) with a sound element indicating a high-ranking or precious creature, later associated with imperial favor and pampering.

Semantic Evolution: From a specialized meaning of sheltering or favoring someone within an estate to the general modern sense of spoiling, doting on, and pets.

In ancient times, this word frequently described imperial favor bestowed upon concubines or favored officials.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

sủng

The Chinese 3rd tone corresponds roughly to a dipping-rising contour, somewhat akin to the Vietnamese hỏi tone.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: チョウ / Kun: たまわる, おもう

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

총

Sound Shift Bridge: The -ong final and ch- initial share roots with ancient Sinitic pronunciation strata found across East Asia.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a royal dragon (龙) living comfortably inside a luxury penthouse roof (宀), where it is completely spoiled and pampered (宠) all day long.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

拢

lǒngto gather / to approachUses the hand radical (扌) instead of a roof.

垄

lǒngridge of a fieldUses the earth radical (土) at the bottom.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

庞(páng)

Has a semi-enclosure (广) instead of a roof (宀), meaning huge or face.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

奶奶非常[___]孫子。

Clue: chǒng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the roof radical (宀) with the semi-enclosure (广) or forgetting that the lower component is simplified from 龍 to 龙.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 宠 mean, and what are its two primary components?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to pamper / spoil' (chǒng) using roof and dragon parts?

寵chǒngto pamper

Speed:

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