Meaning of 张
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to open up
- to spread
- sheet of paper
- classifier for flat objects, sheet
- classifier for votes
- surname Zhang
How to use 张
张 is most often a measure word for flat things such as paper, tables, beds, tickets, photos, and even faces. It also appears in words like 紧张 (jǐnzhāng, nervous) and 主张 (zhǔzhāng, to advocate). Example: 我买了两张票。(Wǒ mǎi le liǎng zhāng piào.) I bought two tickets.
张 is made of 弓 (gōng, bow) on the left and 长 (cháng, long) on the right. Picture pulling a bow string long and wide, which is how you open up or spread something flat, like a sheet.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 长 with an extra stroke or mix up 张 with 弦 (xián, string) because both start with 弓. Also remember to use 两张 (liǎng zhāng), not 二张, when saying two sheets.
张 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
张 zhāng · to open up · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 张.
| 紧张 | jǐnzhāng | nervous; keyed up |
| 主张 | zhǔzhāng | to advocate; to stand for |
| 夸张 | kuāzhāng | to exaggerate; overstated; exaggerated |
| 扩张 | kuòzhāng | expansion; dilation |
| 开张 | kāizhāng | to open a business; first transaction of a business day |
| 慌张 | huāngzhāng | flustered; agitated |
| 张扬 | zhāngyáng | to display ostentatiously; to bring out into the open |
| 张贴 | zhāngtiē | to post (a notice); to advertise |
| 伸张 | shēnzhāng | to uphold (e.g. justice or virtue); to promote |
| 东张西望 | dōngzhāng-xīwàng | to look in all directions (idiom); to glance around |
| 张灯结彩 | zhāngdēng-jiécǎi | to be decorated with lanterns and colored banners (idiom) |
| 张开 | zhāngkāi | to open up; to spread |
Questions about 张
What does 张 mean?
张 (zhāng) means "to open up; to spread" and is used as a measure word and verb.
How do you write 张?
张 is made of 1 character: 张 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 张 an HSK word?
Yes. 张 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 张 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 张 is written 張.
Why is 张 used as a measure word for a bed or a table?
张 covers objects with a large flat surface, so a bed (一张床) and a table (一张桌子) count as flat things. You will also hear 一张脸 (yì zhāng liǎn) for a face and 一张嘴 for a mouth.
Is 张 a common Chinese surname?
Yes. 张 (Zhāng) is one of the most common surnames in China. When introducing yourself, people often say 弓长张 (gōng cháng Zhāng) to show which Zhang they mean, describing its two parts.