Definitions

cháng (adjective) long; length
zhǎng (verb) to grow; to develop
zhǎng (noun) chief; leader

Etymology

Pictograph of an old person with long hair using a cane to walk. The simplified character was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character .

About

The character 长, with its traditional form 長, originates from an early pictographic depiction of a person with long hair, conveying the core concept of length. Its traditional form structurally suggests this pictorial origin through elements that evoke hair and a figure, while the simplified form 长 is a direct graphical abstraction derived from cursive styles. The meaning extended from physical length to include temporal duration, the state of being senior or elder, and the verbal sense of growing or increasing, resulting in the modern distinct pronunciations cháng for "long" and zhǎng for "to grow" or "elder".

Etymology Hide

Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这条河很

Zhè tiáo hé hěn cháng.

This river is very long.

他的头发得很快。

Tā de tóufa zhǎng de hěn kuài.

His hair grows very fast.

城是中国著名的古迹。

Chángchéng shì Zhōngguó zhùmíng de gǔjī.

The Great Wall is a famous historical site in China.

孩子们在健康成

Háizimen zài jiànkāng zhǎng.

The children are growing up healthily.

时间工作对身体不好。

Cháng shíjiān gōngzuò duì shēntǐ bù hǎo.

Working for long periods is not good for health.

在会议上发表了讲话。

Xiàozhǎng zài huìyì shàng fābiǎo le jiǎnghuà.

The school principal gave a speech at the meeting.

她的艺术生涯达三十年。

Tā de yìshù shēngyá cháng dá sānshí nián.

Her artistic career spans up to thirty years.

经济发展是市期关注的重点。

Jīngjì fāzhǎn shì shìzhǎng chángqī guānzhù de zhòngdiǎn.

Economic development is a long-term focus of the mayor.