Chinese Radicals Series 长

长

长 can be used as a component in word-formation. As a component, it is often used to indicate pronunciation, for example, 张 (zhāng, ’open up’），帐 (zhàng, ’ account’) and 帐 (zhàng, ’net’).

Idioms and phrases

(Pronounced cháng)

• 长处 chángchu

The strengths of a person

• 长方形 chángfāngxíng

Rectangle; rectangular

• 长江 chángjiāng

Literally the ‘Long River’; the Yangtze River

• 长颈鹿 chángjǐnglù

Giraffe

• 长命百岁 chángmìngbǎisuì

Long life; often used to wish an elderly person good health

• 长跑 chángpǎo

Long-distance running

• 长期 chángqī

Long-term

(Pronounced zhǎng)

• 家长 jiāzhǎng

Literally ‘the head of a family’; parents

• 增长 zēngzhǎng

To increase; to grow

• 长辈 zhǎngbèi

The elderly, referring to someone who is about the same age as one’s father, or even older

• 长进 zhǎngjìn

Positive in pursuing the objectives of one’s life; the opposite is 不长进 (bù zhǎngjìn), which refers to a person who is generally lazy and without any objectives in life.

• 长相 zhǎngxiàng

The looks (of a person)

• 长子 zhǎngzǐ

The eldest son in a family