Dictionary › 长

长

cháng

Old HSK 2 HSK 3.0 character level 2 Character Traditional 長

长 (cháng) means "long; length". It is an HSK 3.0 level 2 word, and was HSK 2 in the old six-level list.

What 长 means

1. long
2. bound formlength
3. bound formstrong point; forte
4. bound formto be good at
5. literarysurplus; spare (Taiwan pr. zhàng)

Other readings

长 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• zhǎngchief; head; elder

Example sentences

• 首长好！
  Hello, Chief!
• 他是长子。
  Tā shì zhǎngzǐ.
  He's the oldest son.
• 说来话长。
  Shuōláihuàcháng.
  It's a long story.
• 教学相长。
  Teaching is learning.
• 这有多长？
  How long is this?
• 他写长信。
  He's writing a long letter.

Words starting with 长

• 长城Cháng chéngthe Great Wall
• 长江Cháng JiāngYangtze River, or Chang Jiang
• 长途cháng túlong distance; long-distance phone call…
• 长辈zhǎng bèione's elders; older generation
• 长期cháng qīlong-term; for a protracted period
• 长大zhǎng dàto grow up
• 长发cháng fàlong hair
• 长久cháng jiǔlong-time; long-term; lasting; enduring; permanent; for a long time
• 长度cháng dùlength
• 长相zhǎng xiàngappearance; looks; profile
• 长安Cháng ānChang'an (ancient name of Xi'an 西安; see 长安区
• 长篇cháng piānlengthy (report or speech)
• 长远cháng yuǎnlong-term; long-range
• 长老zhǎng lǎoelder; term of respect for a Buddhist monk
• 长官zhǎng guānsenior official; senior officer; commanding officer
• 长出zhǎng chūto sprout (leaves, buds, a beard etc)
• 长短cháng duǎnlength; accident; mishap; right and wrong; good and bad; merits and demerits
• 长篇小说cháng piān xiǎo shuōnovel; full-length novel
• 长期以来cháng qī yǐ láifor a long time
• 长寿cháng shòulongevity; long-lived
• 长征cháng zhēngexpedition; long journey
• 长满zhǎng mǎnto grow all over
• 长假cháng jiàlong vacation
• 长成zhǎng chéngto grow up

Words containing 长

• 校长xiào zhǎng(college, university) president; headmaster
• 增长zēng zhǎngto grow; to increase
• 成长chéng zhǎngto mature; to grow; growth
• 延长yán chángto prolong; to extend; to delay
• 家长jiā zhǎnghead of a household; family head; patriarch
• 漫长màn chángvery long; endless
• 董事长dǒng shì zhǎngchairman of the board of directors
• 擅长shàn chángto be good at; to be expert in
• 特长tè chángpersonal strength; one's special ability or strong points
• 专长zhuān chángspecialty; special knowledge or ability
• 滋长zī zhǎngto grow (usually of abstract things); to yield; to develop
• 拔苗助长bá miáo zhù zhǎngto spoil things through excessive enthusiasm (idiom)
• 局长jú zhǎngbureau chief
• 院长yuàn zhǎngthe head of an institution whose name ends in 院
• 部长bù zhǎnghead of a (government etc) department; section chief; section head
• 市长shì zhǎngmayor
• 队长duì zhǎngcaptain; team leader
• 生长shēng zhǎngto grow; to grow up; to be brought up
• 所长suǒ chángwhat one is good at; one's strong point
• 班长bān zhǎngclass monitor; squad leader; team leader
• 会长huì zhǎngpresident of a club, committee etc
• 秘书长mì shū zhǎngsecretary-general
• 科长kē zhǎngsection chief
• 厂长chǎng zhǎngfactory director

Characters that look like 长

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 去qùto go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last
• 未wèinot yet; did not; have not
• 击jīto hit; to strike; to break
• 夫fūhusband; man; manual worker
• 圣shèng(bound form) peerless (in wisdom, moral virtue, skill etc)…
• 壬rénninth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干; ninth in order…

Sounds the same

Read cháng, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 常always; ever; often
• 尝to taste; to try (food); to experience; (literary) ever; once
• 偿to repay; to compensate for; to recompense
• 肠intestines
• 倘used in 倘佯
• 裳lower garment; skirts; petticoats
• 苌plant mentioned in Book of Songs, uncertainly identified as carambola or star fruit…
• 场threshing floor; classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout
• 徜sit cross-legged; walk back and forth
• 嫦used in 嫦娥; used in female given names
• 镸"long" or "to grow" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 168)
• 鲿Bagridae (catfish family)

Where 长 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Directions and Position (HSK 2), HSK 2 Characters · Set 7 (HSK 2), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 2 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read cháng correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.