How to Write 觞 (shāng) — Meaning “wine cup; to offer a toast”

Imagine a party where someone uses a horn-shaped cup (角) to toast under the bright sun (昜). The sun’s rays (represented by 昜) shine on the cup, helping you recall that 觞 means a wine cup for toasting.

Write the left radical 角 first: start with the top stroke, then the hook, and finish the inner structure. The right side 昜 is taller; be careful not to make the horizontal strokes inside too short—they should stretch across the width of the component to keep the character balanced.

觞 (shāng) means a wine cup or toasting. 觖 (jué) means to resent or be dissatisfied, and 觚 (gū) refers to a long, narrow wine vessel. Visually, 觞 has 昜 on the right, while 觖 has 夬 and 觚 has 瓜.

觞 appears mostly in classical or literary contexts, like the idiom 举觞 (raise a wine cup to toast) or 流觞 (floating wine cups at a gathering). It evokes the ancient Chinese tradition of poets sitting by a winding stream, drinking when a floating cup reached them.

Common words containing 觞 include: 举觞 (jǔ shāng) — To raise a wine cup for a toast.; 觞酌 (shāng zhuó) — to pour wine and drink; 流觞 (liú shāng) — floating wine cups.