Meaning of 司长
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- bureau chief
How to use 司长
司长 is a formal title for the head of a department (司) inside a central government ministry in mainland China. It is also used for senior officials in Hong Kong, such as 律政司司长. Example: 他是外交部的新闻司司长。(Tā shì Wàijiāobù de xīnwén sī sīzhǎng.) He is the director of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry.
司 (sī) means to manage or be in charge, as in 司机 (sījī), the person who manages the vehicle. Add 长 (zhǎng), the head, and 司长 is the head who manages a 司, a department or bureau.
Common mistake: Learners often read 长 as cháng (long) here. In titles like 司长, 市长 and 校长 it is always zhǎng, meaning head or chief. Also do not confuse 司 (sī) with 同 (tóng). 司 opens to the left and has no inner stroke on top.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
司 sī · to take charge of · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
长 cháng · long · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 司长.
| 公司 | gōngsī | company; firm; corporation |
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 队长 | duìzhǎng | captain; team leader |
| 司机 | sījī | chauffeur; driver |
| 市长 | shìzhǎng | mayor |
| 校长 | xiàozhǎng | (college, university) president; headmaster |
| 家长 | jiāzhǎng | head of a household; family head |
| 院长 | yuànzhǎng | the head of an institution whose name ends in 院[yuan4]; chair of a board; university presi |
| 组长 | zǔzhǎng | group leader |
| 班长 | bānzhǎng | class monitor; squad leader |
| 部长 | bùzhǎng | head of a (government etc) department; section chief |
| 成长 | chéngzhǎng | to mature; to grow |
Questions about 司长
What does 司长 mean?
司长 (sīzhǎng) means "bureau chief" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 司长?
司长 is made of 2 characters: 司 (5 strokes), 长 (4 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 司长 an HSK word?
Yes. 司长 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 司长 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 司长 is written 司長.
What is the difference between 司长 and 局长?
Both are translated as director or bureau chief. In the mainland central government, a 司 is a department directly under a ministry, and a 局 is usually a bureau. 局长 (júzhǎng) is also common at the city and local level, while 司长 mostly appears in national ministries.
How do you address a 司长 in person?
You put the surname before the title, for example 王司长 (Wáng sīzhǎng), Director Wang. This is the same pattern as 李市长 (Lǐ shìzhǎng) or 张校长 (Zhāng xiàozhǎng).