PETALING JAYA: The Chinese character “sheng”, meaning “increase” and “rise”, has been voted as Malaysia’s Character of the Year.
This character was chosen for its dual meanings – signifying both economic advancement and the rising cost of living.
Organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia and Han Culture Centre Malaysia, this year’s selection reflects societal concerns tied to daily life.
The character symbolises multiple interpretations, representing challenges like inflation and economic issues, as well as hopes for progress, according to Sin Chew Daily.
Han Culture Centre Malaysia president Datuk Goh Hin San said the public likely resonated with the rise of the Malaysian ringgit this year and the strengthening relations between Malaysia and China, with 80% of voters commenting on the sense of economic recovery.
“Twenty per cent of voters view it as indicative of rising prices.
“Although the character conveys both positive and negative connotations, the positive interpretations are more prevalent.”
He further clarified that “sheng” differs from last year’s “gui” (expensive) and the previous year’s “zhang” (increase), as “zhang” and “gui” directly express rising prices and expenses.
However, “sheng” demonstrates the charm of Chinese characters, offering varied interpretations within a single word.
Goh revealed that the character “chang” (Madani) narrowly missed the top spot, reflecting public interest in the governance and policies of the current government.
“If the government performs well, chang might emerge as next year’s Character of the Year.”
The top 10 characters this year are “sheng” (18.52%), “chang” (18.18%), “bi” (currency) (14.42%), “wen” (stable) (10.99%), “wa” (stocking) (10.27%), “shui” (flood) (8.5%), “dong” (sinkhole) (7.32%), “liu” (durian) (4.65%), “shu” (digital) (3.81%) and “mian” (exemption) (3.34%).
