Meaning of 长城
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the Great Wall
How to use 长城
长城 is the everyday name for the Great Wall of China and is used like a proper noun. It often appears with verbs like 去 (qù) or 爬 (pá, to climb). Example: 我们明天去爬长城。(Wǒmen míngtiān qù pá Chángchéng.) We are going to climb the Great Wall tomorrow.
长 (cháng) means long and 城 (chéng) means city wall, so 长城 is simply the long wall. Picture 城, which has 土 (earth) on the left, as a wall built of earth stretching on and on.
Common mistake: Learners often read 长 here as zhǎng, as in 长大 (zhǎngdà) or 校长 (xiàozhǎng), but in 长城 it is cháng, meaning long. Both syllables are second tone, so say Chángchéng with two rising tones.
长城 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
城 chéng · city walls · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 长城.
| 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 |
| 城市 | chéngshì | city; town |
| 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 |
Questions about 长城
What does 长城 mean?
长城 (Chángchéng) means "the Great Wall" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 长城?
长城 is made of 2 characters: 长 (4 strokes), 城 (9 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 长城 an HSK word?
Yes. 长城 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 长城 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 长城 is written 長城.
How do I know when 长 is cháng and when it is zhǎng?
When 长 describes length, as in 长城 or 很长 (hěn cháng), it is cháng. When it means to grow or a leader, as in 长大 (zhǎngdà), 市长 (shìzhǎng) or 队长 (duìzhǎng), it is zhǎng.
Is there a common saying about the Great Wall in Chinese?
A well known one is 不到长城非好汉 (bù dào Chángchéng fēi hǎohàn), meaning you are not a true hero until you reach the Great Wall. People quote it when visiting the wall or when encouraging someone to reach a goal.