Meaning of 长
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- long
- (bound form) length
- (bound form) strong point; forte
- (bound form) to be good at
- (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4])
- chief
- head
- elder
- to grow
- to develop
- to increase
- to enhance
How to use 长
Read it cháng when it means long, as in 很长 (hěn cháng, very long), and zhǎng when it means to grow or a leader, as in 长大 (zhǎngdà) or 校长 (xiàozhǎng). Example: 这条路很长。(Zhè tiáo lù hěn cháng.) This road is very long.
Think of 长 as an old person with long, flowing hair blowing in the wind. Long hair suggests both something long, 长 (cháng), and an elder who has grown old, 长 (zhǎng).
Common mistake: Learners often read every 长 as cháng, saying 校长 as xiàocháng or 长大 as chángdà. When 长 means a leader or to grow, it is zhǎng in the third tone.
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.
长 cháng · long · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 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 长
What does 长 mean?
长 (cháng) means "long; (bound form) length" and is used as a adjective, verb and suffix.
How do you write 长?
长 is made of 1 character: 长 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 长 an HSK word?
Yes. 长 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 长 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 长 is written 長.
How do I know whether to read 长 as cháng or zhǎng?
If it describes length or time, like 长发 (chángfà, long hair) or 长期 (chángqī, long term), it is cháng. If it means growing, being older, or a person in charge, like 长高 (zhǎng gāo, to grow taller) or 市长 (shìzhǎng, mayor), it is zhǎng.
What does 长 mean in words like 特长 or 擅长?
Here 长 is cháng and means a strong point or being good at something. 特长 (tècháng) is a special skill, and 擅长 (shàncháng) means to be good at, as in 他擅长画画 (tā shàncháng huàhuà, he is good at drawing).