Skip to content
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
觴 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
觴shāngwine cup; to propose a toast; feastx, 18 strokes, radical 角
shāng(shang1) T1
  1. 1wine cup; to propose a toast; feast
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

觴shāng(shang1)

The character 觴 (shāng) refers to a wine cup, typically used in ceremonial contexts or during feasts. It can also mean to propose a toast, highlighting the act of celebrating with drinks in social gatherings. This term often embodies the spirit of camaraderie and festivity in Chinese culture.

Strokes18Radical角
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the act of toasting is significant during banquets and celebrations, often reflecting respect and goodwill among participants. The ritual of toasting with 觴 is a traditional practice during important events like weddings and business dinners.

Memory Tip

Imagine a grand banquet where everyone is raising their wine cups (觴) to toast to friendship and good fortune. The character 觴 contains the component for 'wine' (酒) which connects to its meaning, making it easier to remember that it's about toasting and celebrating.

Meanings of 觴

shāng(shang1)
1wine cup; to propose a toast; feast
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 觴

觴Simplified
18Strokes
角Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 觴

JasonAmy

Podcast: 觴

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 觴

Usage Notes

Be mindful that 觴 is often used in more formal or literary contexts rather than casual conversation. A common mistake is using it interchangeably with the general term for 'cup' (杯), which is less specific. Collocations include phrases related to toasting and celebrations.

HSK Study Tips

Though 觴 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects to other words related to dining and social occasions, such as 酒 (jiǔ - alcohol) and 祝酒 (zhùjiǔ - to propose a toast). Focus on associating it with cultural practices around drinking and festivities.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 觴 with 杯, mistakenly using it in casual settings. For example, saying '我喝水在我的觴' (Wǒ hē shuǐ zài wǒ de shāng) is incorrect; it should be '杯' instead of '觴' when referring to a water cup.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 觴

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 觴 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 觴

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

horn

Semantic (meaning)角
+
Phonetic (sound)昜
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 觴

  1. 1The meaning half角 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half昜 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayhorn
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 觴? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 觴?

Decomposition of 觴

IDS Structure⿰角⿱?昜
觴Full Character
=
角jiao3
left
昜yang2
top
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 觴?

How to say wine cup; to propose a toast; feast in Chinese

“wine cup; to propose a toast; feast” in Chinese is觴shāng

The character 觴 (shāng) refers to a wine cup, typically used in ceremonial contexts or during feasts. It can also mean to propose a toast, highlighting the act of celebrating with drinks in social gatherings. This term often embodies the spirit of camaraderie and festivity in Chinese culture.

When to use 觴

Be mindful that 觴 is often used in more formal or literary contexts rather than casual conversation. A common mistake is using it interchangeably with the general term for 'cup' (杯), which is less specific. Collocations include phrases related to toasting and celebrations.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 觴 with 杯, mistakenly using it in casual settings. For example, saying '我喝水在我的觴' (Wǒ hē shuǐ zài wǒ de shāng) is incorrect; it should be '杯' instead of '觴' when referring to a water cup.

Write 觴

觴

Practice writing 觴 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 觴

Words Containing This Character2
觞shāngfeast觴
滥觞the origin (of some phenomenon)濫觴
Exercise 1 of 2

Compound Meaning

What does 觞 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 觴

While 觴 specifically refers to a wine cup used in toasting, 杯 (bēi) is a more general term for any cup or glass.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 觴?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.