Meaning of 漫长
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- very long
- endless
How to use 漫长
漫长 describes time or distance that feels very long, often with a sense of waiting or hardship. It usually goes before nouns like 时间, 冬天, 岁月 or 道路. Example: 漫长的冬天终于过去了。(Màncháng de dōngtiān zhōngyú guòqù le.) The long winter has finally passed.
漫 (màn) has the water radical 氵, so picture water spreading out and overflowing everywhere. Add 长 (cháng, long) and you get something that stretches on and on, like a flood with no end.
Common mistake: In 漫长 the character 长 is read cháng (long), not zhǎng as in 长大 (zhǎngdà) or 校长 (xiàozhǎng). Learners also confuse 漫 (màn) with 慢 (màn, slow), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of water 氵.
漫长 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.
漫 màn · free · 14 strokes
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长 cháng · long · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 漫长.
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 队长 | duìzhǎng | captain; team leader |
| 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 |
| 长期 | chángqī | long-term; for a protracted period |
| 生长 | shēngzhǎng | to grow; to grow up |
Questions about 漫长
What does 漫长 mean?
漫长 (màncháng) means "very long; endless" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 漫长?
漫长 is made of 2 characters: 漫 (14 strokes), 长 (4 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 漫长 an HSK word?
Yes. 漫长 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 漫长 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 漫长 is written 漫長.
What is the difference between 漫长 and 长?
长 (cháng) is a neutral, everyday word for long. 漫长 is more literary and emotional, stressing that something feels endlessly long, usually time or a journey. You would say 这条裤子很长, not 这条裤子很漫长.
Can 漫长 be used for physical objects like rope or hair?
Not usually. 漫长 is mainly used for time periods and journeys, such as 漫长的等待 (màncháng de děngdài, a long wait) or 漫长的路 (a long road). For objects, use 长 alone.