受 (shòu): to receive, to accept, to suffer
受 (shòu) is a Chinese character meaning “to receive.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 爫 (structural), 冖 (structural) and 又 (structural). It ranks #238 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 受 something 冖 passed from one hand 爫 to another 又. Its radical form 又 (again) appears in many related characters such as 友 (yǒu, friend), 又 (yòu, (once) again), 发 (fā, to send out).
Definitions
- to receive
- to accept
- to suffer
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSomething 冖 passed from one hand 爫 to another 又
Decomposition: ⿳爫冖又 (layout: top-middle-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 受 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 受
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 接受verb | jiē shòu | to accept (a suggestion, punishment, bribe etc) | 4 |
| 享受verb | xiǎng shòu | to enjoy | 5 |
| 受到verb | shòu dào | to receive (praise, an education, punishment etc) | 3 |
| 受伤verb | shòu shāng | to sustain injuries | 4 |
| 感受verb/noun | gǎn shòu | to sense | 4 |
| 忍受verb | rěn shòu | to bear | 6 |
| 受不了verb | shòu bù liǎo | unbearable | 4 |
| 承受verb | chéng shòu | to bear | 5 |
| 难受adjective | nán shòu | to feel unwell | 4 |
| 遭受verb | zāo shòu | to suffer | 6 |
| 受灾verb | shòu zāi | disaster-stricken | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 受害者noun | shòu hài zhě | casualty |
| 受害人noun | shòu hài rén | victim |
| 好受adjective | hǎo shòu | feeling better |
| 经受verb | jīng shòu | to undergo (hardship) |
| 受苦verb | shòu kǔ | to suffer hardship |
| 受损verb | shòu sǔn | to suffer damage |
| 受益verb | shòu yì | to benefit from |
| 饱受verb | bǎo shòu | to endure |
| 受宠若惊phrase | shòu chǒng ruò jīng | overwhelmed by favor from superior (humble expr.) |
| 备受verb | bèi shòu | to receive a great deal of (respect, criticism, attention etc) |
| 受得了verb | shòu de liǎo | to put up with |
| 受审noun | shòu shěn | to stand trial |
| 受罪verb | shòu zuì | to endure |
| 深受verb | shēn shòu | to receive in no small measure |
| 受害verb | shòu hài | to suffer damage, injury etc |
受 appears in 107 compound words: 79 as the first character, 21 as the last, and 1 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 受 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
to meekly submit to oppression, maltreatment, etc.; to resign oneself to adversity
to meekly submit to oppression, maltreatment, etc.; to resign oneself to adversity
Showing 12 of 13 idioms containing 受.
Example Sentences
这个受字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě shòu zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "受" carries different meanings in classical Chinese.
威科夫接受专访透露 奉川普指示会晤伊朗前王储
wēi kē fū jiē shòu zhuān fǎng tòu lù fèng chuān pǔ zhǐ shì huì wù yī lǎng qián wáng chǔ
Wyckoff revealed in an exclusive interview that he was instructed by Trump to meet with the former crown prince of Iran
受冬季风暴影响 美国数千架次航班被取消
shòu dōng jì fēng bào yǐng xiǎng měi guó shǔ qiān jià cì háng bān bèi qǔ xiāo
Thousands of flights in the United States were canceled due to the winter storm
神韵展现对神的信仰 令牙医“深受鼓舞”
shén yùn zhǎn xiàn duì shén de xìn yǎng lìng yá yī shēn shòu gǔ wǔ
Shen Yun shows faith in God and makes dentists "deeply encouraged"
东京晴空塔爆电梯急坠事故 约20人受困5.5小时 1200游客滞留观景台
dōng jīng qíng kōng tǎ bào diàn tī jí zhuì shì gù yuē 2 0 rén shòu kùn 5 . 5 xiǎo shí 1 2 0 0 yóu kè zhì liú guàn jǐng tái
Tokyo Skytree exploded elevator crash About 20 people were trapped for 5.5 hours 1,200 tourists stranded at the observation deck
回应法国质疑 欧委会称受邀参加“和平委员会”会议是..
huí yīng fǎ guó zhì yí ōu wěi huì chèn shòu yāo cān jiā hé píng wěi yuán huì huì yì shì . .
In response to France's doubts, the European Commission said that the invitation to the meeting of the "Peace Commission" was:
她能忍受长途旅行吗？
Tā néng rěnshòu chángtú lǚxíng ma?
Can she endure a long trip?
他们都享受那么快的发展吗？
Tāmen dōu xiǎngshòu nàme kuài de fāzhǎn ma?
Do they all enjoy such high speed development?
你们不接受信用卡？
Nǐmen bù jiēshòu xìnyòngkǎ?
You don't accept credit cards?
你对这个问题有什么感受？
Nǐ duì zhège wèntí yǒu shénme gǎnshòu?
How do you feel about the issue?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 受 (shòu) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 受 and 给?
How many strokes does 受 have?
What is the radical of 受?
What are the components of 受?
What are common words containing 受?
What characters sound the same as 受 (shòu)?
Is 受 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 受 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.