How to Write 胜 (shèng) — Meaning “Victory; to win”

Imagine that eating meat (⺼) gives you the life (生) energy you need to win a victory. You can think: "Meat is life, and that brings victory!" This visual link connects the two parts to the meaning of winning.

Pay attention to the left radical ⺼: it has four strokes and should be written narrow, like the meat radical, not like the moon radical. The right part 生 has three horizontal strokes that should be parallel and evenly spaced; a common mistake is making the top stroke too short.

All three share the left radical ⺼, but their right sides differ. 胜 uses 生 (life) and means victory, while 肝 uses 干 (dry) and refers to the liver, and 肠 uses 昜 (a sun-like component) and refers to the intestines. Visually, 生 has three horizontal lines on top, which sets it apart.

胜 is used in words like 胜利 (shènglì, victory) and 胜负 (shèngfù, outcome of a competition). It also appears in 名胜 (míngshèng, scenic spot), which means a famous place worth winning a visit to. Culturally, 胜 appears in many battle-related idioms such as 百战百胜 (win every battle).

Common words containing 胜 include: 胜利 (shèng lì) — Victory; triumph; 名胜 (míng shèng) — scenic spot; famous site; 胜负 (shèng fù) — Victory or defeat; outcome.