ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
更
even more (gēng: to change)
gèng
7 strokes · 一 + 曰 + 乂 — a hand striking with a tool (old 攴) · HSK 3
What 更 is made of
一 + 日 + 乂 = 更
乂crossed strokes
Where 更 comes from
A hand with a tool making a change — gēng, to alter, to renew. Each change advances a degree, so gèng became the comparative booster: even more, still more.
更 in Chinese culture
更好 even better, 更多 even more — the upgrade word. As gēng: 更新 update (your apps live on it). Ancient nights had five 更 watches; 三更半夜 'third-watch midnight' still means the dead of night.
Example
更好 gèng hǎo — even better
今天比昨天更热。
Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān gèng rè.
Today is even hotter than yesterday.
How to remember it
Strike a CHANGE (gēng) — each change takes you a step FURTHER (gèng).
半夜三更 'the third night-watch' survives from when Chinese cities marked time by drum towers — roughly 11pm to 1am.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 更
更好 gèng hǎo
even better
更新 gēngxīn
to update
Related characters
LEARN 更 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 455-character HSK library · iOS