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乘

chéng
HSK 5
#1,229 most
frequent character
to ride, to mount, to make use of
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

乘 first pictured a person standing in a tree, with feet on two branches, so it meant to climb a tree. From climbing it grew to riding, mounting, and making use of. The multiplication sense was borrowed for its sound. Read shèng, it means a horse-drawn carriage.

Drawn as: person atop tree; feet on branches

乘 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters
剩嵊

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Example Sentences

我每天都乘公共汽车去学校。
wǒ měitiān dū chéng gōnggòng qìchē qù xuéxiào 。
I take the bus to school every day.
请你乘这个机会，去做你想做的事情。
qǐng nǐ chéng zhègè jīhuì ， qù zuò nǐxiǎng zuòde shìqíng 。
Please take advantage of this opportunity to do what you want to do.
在数学中，我们使用乘法来计算。
zài shùxué zhōng ， wǒmen shǐyòng chéngfǎ lái jìsuàn 。
In mathematics, we use multiplication to calculate.

Same Characters, Different Readings

乘shèng
(archaic) four horse military chariot

Words with similar meanings

利用lìyòng
to utilize
More focused on making practical use of something.
骑qí
to ride
Specifically means to ride on an animal or vehicle.

Homophones

HSK 6
盛chéng
to hold, contain, to ladle
HSK 6
橙chéng
orange tree, orange (color)
城chéng
city, town
成chéng
(measure word)
呈chéng
to present to a superior, memorial
惩chéng
to punish, to reprimand, to warn

Words Starting With 乘

乘坐chéng zuò
to ride (in a vehicle)
乘务员chéng wù yuán
"attendant on an airplane, train, boat etc"

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Public Lists with 乘

Math & Engineering
Algebra, geometry, machinery, structures, electronics, design.
Numbers & Counting
Numerals, counting words, and measure words frequently used with numbers.
Advanced HSK5 Terms
Vocabulary commonly seen in HSK5 practice, bridging mid-high level usage.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test