涨

• Pinyin: zhǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 涨 = 氵(water) + 张 (to stretch/expand, phonetic)

Meaning

To rise; to go up; to increase. Used for prices, water levels, or quantities going up.

Commonly used for prices (涨价), water levels (水涨), stocks (股票涨), and salaries (工资涨). Opposite of 跌 (fall) or 降 (decrease). Also pronounced zhàng in 涨红了脸 (face flushed red).

Examples

1. 最近菜市场的蔬菜价格涨了不少。 Recently vegetable prices at the market have risen quite a bit.
2. 河水涨得很快，已经快到桥面了。 The river is rising quickly and is almost up to the bridge deck.
3. 公司宣布下个月给员工涨百分之十的工资。 The company announced it will raise employee salaries by ten percent next month.

Usage Guide

Context: economics, daily life, weather

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 房价又涨了。(Housing prices went up again.)
• 股票今天涨了百分之五。(The stock rose five percent today.)

Don't Say

• 涨高 (涨 doesn't pair with 高 — just say 涨了 or use 升高)

Origin & History

Originally meant water rising and overflowing. Extended to mean any kind of increase.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal