success; to succeed
HSK level
成功 is written with 11 strokes (成: 6, 功: 5). The animation replays automatically.
成功 (chénggōng) means 'to succeed' or 'success,' and also functions as an adjective, 'successful.'
It describes achieving an intended goal or a good outcome: 手术很成功 ('the surgery was very successful'), 成功了！('It worked / we did it!'). The characters mean 'to accomplish merit/work.' Unlike English, where 'success,' 'succeed,' and 'successful' are three words, 成功 covers all three roles unchanged — 事业成功 ('successful career'), 成功地完成 ('successfully completed').
English speakers should note that 成功 often marks the completion of an effort or attempt, so it pairs naturally with 了 to signal 'it worked.' It is neutral in register and extremely common, from casual 'yes, it worked!' to formal 'the mission succeeded.' Its opposite is 失败 (shībài, 'to fail').
Note: Neutral. Functions as verb, adjective, and noun without change; equally natural in encouragement, news reports, and formal writing.
Character by character
Memory hook: 成 (accomplish) + 功 (achievement): to accomplish an achievement — success.
成功 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Browse the full episode library太好了，我们成功了！
Tài hǎo le, wǒmen chénggōng le!
Great, we did it!
spoken
这次考试他没有成功。
Zhè cì kǎoshì tā méiyǒu chénggōng.
He didn't succeed on this exam.
neutral
祝你新工作顺利成功。
Zhù nǐ xīn gōngzuò shùnlì chénggōng.
Wishing you smooth success in your new job.
neutral
这次活动办得非常成功。
Zhè cì huódòng bàn de fēicháng chénggōng.
This event was organized very successfully.
written
胜利 ('victory / to win') implies defeating an opponent or overcoming a struggle — used for battles, competitions, campaigns. 成功 is broader: achieving any goal, no rival required.
成为 means 'to become / turn into' and needs a complement (成为医生 'become a doctor'). 成功 means 'to succeed / success' and can stand alone. Both start with 成 but do different jobs.
功夫 means 'skill / kung fu / effort-over-time.' It shares 功 with 成功 but refers to acquired ability or time spent, not achieving a goal.
Acquire it by listening
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