How to Write 赠 (zèng) — Meaning “To give as a gift”

Picture “zèng” as “zen” giving: imagine a Zen master who once (曾) had a lot of money (贝) and decided to give it all away as a gift. The sound “zèng” can remind you of the word “send,” which is similar to giving a present.

Pay attention to the right side 曾: it has two dots on top, then a horizontal stroke, then 日 (sun) and a bottom part. A common mistake is making the top part too wide or forgetting the second dot. The left radical 贝 should be narrow and slightly taller than the right side to keep the character balanced.

赠 (zèng) means “to give a gift” and uses the money radical 贝. 賏 (yīng) is a rare character meaning “necklace” or “string of shells,” and is not used in modern Chinese. 赘 (zhuì) means “superfluous” or “burdensome” (e.g., 赘肉, excess fat); it has a different right side (敖) and a negative meaning. So 赠 is the only one about giving.

You often see 赠 in formal or commercial contexts, like 赠送 (zèngsòng, to give away) for free samples in stores, or 赠品 (zèngpǐn) for a free gift with purchase. Culturally, giving a gift in China is a warm gesture, and 赠 appears in phrases like 赠礼 (zènglǐ, to present a gift) to show respect or gratitude.

Common words containing 赠 include: 赠送 (zèng sòng) — To present / To give away; 赠品 (zèng pǐn) — Free gift / Giveaway; 赠礼 (zèng lǐ) — To give a gift.