乘

• Pinyin: chéng
• Hanzi breakdown: 乘 = pictographic character depicting a person standing on a tree or vehicle

Meaning

To ride; to take (transportation); to multiply.

Used for taking public transportation or riding vehicles. Also used in mathematics for multiplication. A formal alternative to 坐 when referring to transportation.

Examples

1. 我每天乘地铁上班，大约需要四十分钟。 I take the subway to work every day, which takes about forty minutes.
2. 乘飞机去北京只需要两个小时。 Flying to Beijing only takes two hours.
3. 三乘五等于十五。 Three times five equals fifteen.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, mathematics

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 乘几路车能到？(Which bus can get there?)
• 三乘三等于九。(Three times three equals nine.)

Don't Say

• 把'乘'读成shèng——交通工具和数学用chéng，只有'千乘之国'等古文读shèng (Don't read 乘 as shèng — for transportation and math use chéng; shèng is only for classical texts like 千乘之国)

Origin & History

Originally depicted a person riding in a chariot, extending to mean riding any vehicle or multiplying in mathematics.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal