贺 (hè): to congratulate
贺 (hè) is a Chinese character meaning “to congratulate.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 加 (structural) and 贝 (structural). It ranks #1676 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 贺 to add 加 to someone else's fortune 贝. Its radical form 贝 (shell) appears in many related characters such as 贵 (guì, expensive), 负 (fù, to bear), 责 (zé, responsibility).
Definitions
- to congratulate
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo add 加 to someone else's fortune 贝
Decomposition: ⿱加贝 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 贺 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 贺
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 贺卡noun | hè kǎ | greeting card |
| 庆贺verb | qìng hè | to congratulate |
| 贺礼noun | hè lǐ | congratulatory gift |
| 道贺verb | dào hè | to congratulate |
| 恭贺verb | gōng hè | to congratulate respectfully |
| 贺拉斯 | hè lā sī | Horace, full Latin name Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65-8 BC), Roman poet |
| 贺电noun | hè diàn | congratulatory telegram |
| 贺兰proper-noun | hè lán | see 賀蘭縣|贺兰县 |
| 贺年卡 | hè nián kǎ | New Year greeting card |
| 贺词noun | hè cí | message of congratulation |
| 贺信noun | hè xìn | congratulatory letter or message |
| 贺喜verb | hè xǐ | to congratulate |
| 贺岁verb | hè suì | to extend New Year's greetings |
| 敬贺 | jìng hè | to offer one's congratulations (formal) |
| 可喜可贺phrase | kě xǐ kě hè | worthy of celebration |
贺 appears in 48 compound words: 65 as the first character, 23 as the last, and 13 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 贺 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Showing 2 of 3 idioms containing 贺.
Example Sentences
祝贺你升职，这是对你努力的认可。
Zhùhè nǐ shēngzhí, zhè shì duì nǐ nǔlì de rènkě.
Congratulations on your promotion; this is recognition of your efforts.
44岁范冰冰大晒贺年相贵气逼人 超巨型红宝石手鈪闪盲网民
4 4 suì fàn bīng bīng dà shài hè nián xiāng guì qì bī rén chāo jù xíng hóng bǎo shí shǒu 鈪 shǎn máng wǎng mín
44-year-old Fan Bingbing posted a noble New Year's look and a super giant ruby bracelet flashing blind netizens
...国男子冰球队46年来冬奥首次摘金 川普祝贺
. . . guó nán zǐ bīng qiú duì nián lái dōng ào shǒu cì zhāi jīn chuān pǔ zhù hè
China's men's ice hockey team wins first Winter Olympics gold in 46 years; Trump offers congratulations
...》” 黄洛妍李尹嫣为观众赢得逾万元现金奖贺新春
. . . huáng 洛 妍 lǐ 尹 嫣 wéi guàn zhòng yíng dé yú wàn yuán xiàn jīn jiǎng hè xīn chūn
Huang Luoyan and Li Yinyan Win Over 10,000 Yuan in Cash Prizes for Audience to Celebrate Chinese New Year
2026贺岁图|初四:接灶迎新
hè suì tú chū sì jiē zào yíng xīn
2026 Lunar New Year Illustration | Fourth Day: Welcoming the Kitchen God and Ushering in the New Year
追光|首金贺岁:小鸣生日快乐!中国新春快乐!
zhuī guāng shǒu jīn hè suì xiǎo míng shēng rì kuài lè ! zhōng guó xīn chūn kuài lè !
Chasing the Light|First Gold Greetings: Happy Birthday Xiaoming! Happy Chinese New Year!
衷心祝贺你的生日，穆里尔！
Zhōngxīn zhùhè nǐ de shēngrì, Mùlǐ'ěr!
Congratulations for your birthday, Muriel!
很快会有很多生日贺卡送到。
Hěn kuài huì yǒu hěn duō shēngrìhèkǎ sòng dào.
There will be a lot of birthday cards sent soon.
他们祝贺我们的胜利。
Tāmen zhùhè wǒmen de shènglì.
They congratulated us on our victory.
他为我的成功恭贺我。
Tā wèi wǒ de chénggōng gōnghè wǒ.
He congratulated me on my success.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 贺 (hè)?
Is 贺 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 贺 with real-time feedback
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