贈 (zèng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

贈

zèng[zeng4]Tone 4

to give as a present

HSK 5

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赠

Guru Deep Dive

English · to give as a present

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:15

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (贝) should be narrower and slightly shorter, leaving ample breathing room for the complex right component (曾).

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 贈 retains the original phonetic element 曾, while the simplified form 赠 keeps 贝 as the semantic shell representing wealth/valuables.

1. Meaning

to give as a present, to bestow

to repelto bestow an honorary title or gift after death (historical)

VerbFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#social interaction#giving#gifts

Sample Usage

这块手表是我送给他的赠品。
zhè kuài shǒubiǎo shì wǒ sòng gěi tā de zèngpǐn.
This watch is a free gift I gave him.
他们互相赠送了纪念品。
tāmen hùxiāng zèngsòng le jìniànpǐn.
They presented souvenirs to each other.

2. Sound

/[tsɤŋ˥˩]/Tone: 51

贈

zèngzeng4

`(51)

=zèng

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Dental Sibilant

Sounds like: ts sound as in 'cats' without the plural s

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff (sounds like 'ds' in English 'cards'). Tissue still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue touches the back of the upper front teeth, releasing air gently without a puff.

Final Rhyme

eng

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -eng rhymes with 'ung' in sung

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uhng'.

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

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, mimicking an emphatic command or sudden exclamation in English.

Sandhi: When followed by a 4th tone syllable, Tone 4 changes to a shorter, truncated high falling pitch before dropping completely.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the unrounded dental affricate initial 'z-' [ts] with the retroflex 'zh-' [tʂ] or the aspirated 'c-' [tsʰ].

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A decisive, sharp karate chop downward from high to low, representing a definitive action.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (贝) should be narrower and slightly shorter, leaving ample breathing room for the complex right component (曾).

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 贈 retains the original phonetic element 曾, while the simplified form 赠 keeps 贝 as the semantic shell representing wealth/valuables.

4. Components

Radical 贝 · Shell / Money Radical (Money, wealth, valuables, treasures)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 贝 (Indicates that the action involves giving valuables or property.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 曾 (original sound: zeng)

Valuable items (贝) are handed over repeatedly or layered up (曾) as a generous gift or bestowal.

贝 Shell / money / valuables
曾 Phonetic clue providing the 'zeng' sound and the idea of addition or layering

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

13· Phonetic Root: 曾 (zēng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 贝 (valuables, currency) and 曾 (phonetic + meaning of adding on or passing down), originally depicting the bestowal of precious cowrie shells or treasures.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from ancient bestowals of wealth and honorary titles by nobility to general modern usage for giving gifts, complimentary items, or bonuses.

In ancient China, cowrie shells (贝) served as currency, making '赠' literally mean handing over wealth.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ゾウ (zō) / ソウ (sō) / Kun: おく.る (oku.ru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

증

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You take precious valuables from your seashell wallet (贝) and layer them (曾) one on top of the other to generously PRESENT (赠) them as a gift to your friend.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

曾

céngonce / alreadyWithout the shell radical, it refers to time past or ancestral layers.

增

zēngto increase / to addUses the dirt/earth radical (土) to signify building up land or quantity.

赠

zèngto give as a presentUses the shell/money radical (贝) representing valuable gifts.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

增(zēng)

赠 has 贝 (money/gifts), while 增 has 土 (earth/adding height).

送(sòng)

送 features the movement radical 辶 (to send/escort), whereas 赠 features 贝 (valuables/bestowing).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

這家商店買手機還___一個耳機。

Clue: zèng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 赠 (formal giving of gifts or complimentary items, often as part of a transaction or honor) with the common verb 送 (sòng), which is used for everyday giving, seeing someone off, or delivering.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 赠, what core concept involving wealth or items comes to mind?

Production: How do you write the formal character meaning 'to give as a present / bestow', combining the money radical with the phonetic '曾'?

贈zèngto give as a present

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