Writing
发生 (fāshēng) — how to say "to happen" in Chinese
发生
To happen, to occur
verb
Character composition
发
to send, to arise
生
to be born, life
Radicals / Keys
又
Again
#29 · yòu · 2 strokes
生
Life
#100 · shēng · 5 strokes
Collocations
发生变化
fāshēng biànhuà
changes occurred
Examples
昨天晚上，城市东边发生了一场小火灾。
Last night, a small fire occurred in the east of the city.
发生了事故。
An accident happened.
Mnemonic
[fāshēng-] Fafa the mail dog sent (发) letters, when suddenly a puppy was born (生) in his kennel. The neighbors gasped: "What just happened here?" — and the whole yard buzzed about how this could 发生. 🐶📬
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "to happen" in Chinese?
"to happen" in Chinese is 发生 (fāshēng).
发生 meaning in English
发生 (fāshēng) means "To happen, to occur".
How is 发生 pronounced?
It is pronounced fāshēng (written as fasheng). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to happen" in Chinese characters?
It is written 发生: 发 has 5 strokes, 生 has 5 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 发生?
发生 belongs to the HSK 4 vocabulary list.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 发生 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.