乘 (chéng) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

chéng ride, mount; to make use of; to ascend; to multiply 10 strokes · Radical 丿 (slash) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 乘 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced chéng.

ride
mount
to make use of
to ascend
to multiply

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

乘 — 10 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

乘 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Overlap. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

乘 =

禾 back cereal

北 front north

Radical

The radical of 乘 is 丿 — meaning slash. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 之乓乒.

How the character is built

乘 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. Two feet 北 climbing a beanstalk 禾.

HSK 4 Words Containing 乘

乘1 chéng to ride (a vehicle)

他每天乘地铁上班。

Tā měitiān chéng dìtiě shàngbān.

He takes the subway to work every day.

乘客 chéngkè passenger

乘客们正在排队上车。

Chéngkèmen zhèngzài páiduì shàng chē.

Passengers are lining up to board.

乘坐 chéngzuò to travel by; to ride

请乘坐电梯到三楼。

Qǐng chéngzuò diàntī dào sān lóu.

Please take the elevator to the third floor.

换乘 huànchéng to transfer (transit)

在这一站换乘二号线。

Zài zhè yí zhàn huànchéng èr hào xiàn.

Transfer to Line 2 at this station.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

乘 appears in 14 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

按照规定，儿童乘坐飞机也需要购买机票。

From Mock Exam 19 →

我们乘坐的航班没有按时起飞，乘客们都很着急。

From Mock Exam 09 →

广播提醒乘客什么？

From Mock Exam 04 →

Tasks Featuring 乘 / 相关任务

Words containing 乘 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论交通出行

Transportation & Travel · 乘1、乘客、乘坐

FAQ

What does 乘 mean in Chinese?

乘 (chéng) means ride, mount; to make use of; to ascend; to multiply. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 乘 have?

乘 is written in 10 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 乘?

The radical of 乘 is 丿 (slash). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 之, 乓, 乒.

What is the pinyin for 乘?

乘 is pronounced chéng.

What HSK 4 words use 乘?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 乘 appears in 4 words, including 乘1 (chéng), 乘客 (chéngkè), 乘坐 (chéngzuò), 换乘 (huànchéng). See the full list above.