强壮
qiáng zhuàng · strong; robust; sturdy
他身体很强壮。
He is physically strong.
Chinese character · HSK 6
壮 (zhuàng) — “strong / robust”
The character combines '丬' (a piece of split wood) and '士' (a warrior or strong man), visually conveying the idea of a robust warrior whose sheer strength can splinter heavy wood.
Memory cue
A strong warrior (士) strikes the wooden post so hard that splinters fly off (丬).
Video mnemonic
Watch 壮 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 壮
This set shows 壮 moving from physical strength to growth, impressive scale, courage, and confident force in a fixed expression.
壮大
zhuàng dà · to grow stronger or larger; to strengthen
这家公司正在不断壮大。
This company is steadily growing stronger.
Usage note: It often describes an organization, business, or force becoming larger and stronger.
壮观
zhuàng guān · spectacular; magnificent
山顶的景色非常壮观。
The view from the mountaintop is spectacular.
Usage note: Here, the idea of strength extends to something visually powerful and impressive.
壮胆
zhuàng dǎn · to bolster someone’s courage
她请朋友陪她去壮胆。
She asked a friend to go with her to bolster her courage.
Usage note: Use it when something or someone helps a person feel braver before a difficult situation.
理直气壮
lǐ zhí qì zhuàng · confident and forceful because one believes one is right
因为证据很清楚，他说得理直气壮。
Because the evidence was clear, he spoke with complete confidence in being right.
Usage note: Learn the four-character expression as a unit; it implies confidence backed by reason or justice, not mere loudness.
Inside the character
- 丬 (split-wood (left)) — sound component. Half of a split tree on the left — appears in 状 / 壮 / 妆 / 床 / 装.
- 士 (scholar / officer) — meaning component. Originally an axe-bearing warrior — often marks scholars, officers, or upright men.
Where 壮 comes from
Historically a phono-semantic compound: '士' (warrior/man) provides the meaning of physical robustness, while '爿' (split wood, now simplified to '丬') provides the phonetic pronunciation.
Learn 壮 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6
character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences,
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More characters: 壶 (hú, pot / kettle) · 夹 (jiā, to clip / to squeeze) · 妈 (mā, mother / mom) — or browse the full character library.