How to Write 诜 (shēn) — Meaning “numerous (literary)”

Imagine a speaker (讠) who is the first (先) to arrive at a huge gathering — he sees so many people that he thinks 'numerous' (诜). This links the radical and sound component to the meaning 'in large numbers'.

Write the left radical 讠 with two strokes: a dot then a horizontal hook. Then write the right part 先 in 6 strokes: 撇, 横, 竖, 横, 撇, 竖弯钩. Keep the left side narrow and the right side wider; a common mistake is confusing the right side with 先's components or adding an extra stroke.

Unlike 讲 (jiǎng, 'to speak') which has 井 on the right, 诜 uses 先. 讳 (huì, 'taboo') has 韦 on the right. Visually, 先 has a vertical stroke and a curved hook, while 井 is a plus-like shape and 韦 is simpler. Meaning-wise, 诜 is a rare literary word for 'numerous', while 讲 and 讳 are common in daily Chinese.

诜 is not part of the HSK vocabulary and appears almost only in classical literature or set phrases, like 诜诜 (shēn shēn, meaning 'numerous' or 'in large numbers'). You might encounter it in ancient poems describing crowds or multitudes, but it is not used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 诜 include: 诜诜 (shēn shēn) — numerous; in large numbers; 诜 (shēn) — numerous (literary).