Meaning of 处长
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- department head
- section chief
How to use 处长
处长 is a title in Chinese government offices, state companies and universities, for the leader of a 处 (division), a level above 科 (section) and below 局 (bureau). People often use it as a form of address after a surname. 王处长今天不在办公室。(Wáng chùzhǎng jīntiān bú zài bàngōngshì.) Director Wang is not in the office today.
处 (chù) means a place or an office, and 长 (zhǎng) means the head or chief. The 长 who runs a 处 is the 处长, the head of a department.
Common mistake: Learners often read 处 here as chǔ, the tone used in verbs like 处理 (chǔlǐ). As a noun meaning an office it is fourth tone chù, and 长 is zhǎng, not cháng.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
处 chù · place · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
长 cháng · long · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 处长.
| 到处 | dàochù | everywhere |
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 队长 | duìzhǎng | captain; team leader |
| 好处 | hǎochù | easy to get along with |
| 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 |
| 坏处 | huàichù | harm; troubles |
| 处理 | chǔlǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish |
Questions about 处长
What does 处长 mean?
处长 (chùzhǎng) means "department head; section chief" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 处长?
处长 is made of 2 characters: 处 (5 strokes), 长 (4 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 处长 an HSK word?
Yes. 处长 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 处长 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 处长 is written 處長.
How is 处长 different from 科长 and 局长?
They are ranks in the Chinese administrative system. A 科长 (kēzhǎng) heads a section, a 处长 heads a larger division, and a 局长 (júzhǎng) heads a whole bureau above that.
Can I call someone 处长 directly when talking to them?
Yes. In Chinese workplaces it is polite to address an official by surname plus title, such as 李处长 (Lǐ chùzhǎng). Using the title alone, 处长, is also common once the person is known.