Meaning of 长短
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- length
- accident; mishap
- right and wrong; good and bad; merits and demerits
How to use 长短
Most often 长短 means length, as in asking how long something is. It can also mean an unexpected mishap, often in the set phrase 三长两短 (sān cháng liǎng duǎn), or gossip about someone's good and bad points. Example: 这条裤子的长短正合适。(Zhè tiáo kùzi de chángduǎn zhèng héshì.) The length of these pants is just right.
长短 joins two opposites: 长 (cháng) long and 短 (duǎn) short. Put long and short together and you get the idea of measuring something, which is length.
Common mistake: Learners see many related words like 队长 (duìzhǎng) and 市长 (shìzhǎng) and read 长 here as zhǎng. In 长短 it is always cháng, meaning long, not zhǎng, meaning to grow or a leader.
长短 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
短 duǎn · short · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related words
Words that share a character with 长短.
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 队长 | duìzhǎng | captain; team leader |
| 市长 | shìzhǎng | mayor |
| 校长 | xiàozhǎng | (college, university) president; headmaster |
| 短信 | duǎnxìn | text message; SMS |
| 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 |
Questions about 长短
What does 长短 mean?
长短 (chángduǎn) means "length; accident; mishap" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 长短?
长短 is made of 2 characters: 长 (4 strokes), 短 (12 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 长短 an HSK word?
Yes. 长短 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 长短 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 长短 is written 長短.
What does 说长道短 mean?
说长道短 (shuō cháng dào duǎn) means to gossip about other people or criticize them behind their backs. Here 长短 refers to someone's rights and wrongs, or good and bad points.
Can I use 长短 to ask how long something is?
Yes. You can say 长短怎么样? (Chángduǎn zěnmeyàng?) to ask if the length is suitable. For a direct measurement, people more often ask 多长? (Duō cháng?), meaning how long.