How to Write 赓 (gēng) — Meaning “to continue; to follow”

Think of 赓 as "continue the wealth" — the 贝 (shell, money) on the left and 庚 (a time word for the seventh heavenly stem) on the right, like passing wealth from one generation to the next. Visualize a shell being passed forward in time to recall its meaning of continuation.

Write the left radical 贝 (4 strokes) first, then the right side 庚 (8 strokes) — total 12 strokes. A common mistake is making the left 贝 too wide or forgetting the second horizontal stroke inside 庚; keep the right side slightly taller and balanced.

赓 (gēng) means "to continue," while 賏 (yīng) is a rare character meaning "pearl necklace" and looks like two 贝 stacked. 贼 (zéi, thief) has 贝 on the left and 戎 (weapon) on the right, meaning "thief" or "destroyer." Unlike 贼, 赓 does not have a negative meaning.

赓 appears mostly in formal or literary contexts, such as 赓续 (continue) in official announcements or 赓酬 (exchange poems) in classical poetry. It is not used in everyday conversation but adds a refined, traditional tone when discussing heritage or artistic response.

Common words containing 赓 include: 赓续 (gēng xù) — to continue; to carry on; 赓酬 (gēng chóu) — to exchange poems or songs; 赓歌 (gēng gē) — to sing in response or continuation.