延伸 (yán shēn) — to extend, to stretch (in space, time, or abstr… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

延伸 means 'to extend / stretch out' in space, time, or abstract reach (e.g. influence, effect). 延长 focuses more on lengthening in time; 扩展 emphasizes outward expansion in scope or scale.

verb

to extendto stretch (in space, time, or abstract sense)

Examples

延伸。
Zhè tiáo tiě lù yán shēn dào xī bù shān qū.
This railway extends to the western mountain area.
延伸。
Huì yì de shí jiān yán shēn le liǎng gè xiǎo shí.
The meeting time was extended by two hours.
延伸。
Zhè zhǒng wén huà de yǐng xiǎng yán shēn dào le guó wài.
The influence of this culture extends abroad.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

伸shēnstretch

“延” and “伸” both describe stretching out, so together they mean to extend or spread.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

彳彳chìwalking
止止zhǐfoot

The shape of 延 adds a top stroke to a form showing 彳 (walking) and 止 (foot), originally meaning to travel far, to show prolonging.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻申伸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénman

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

申shēn伸shēn

Same sound today

伸 puts 亻, the side form of 人 (person), next to 申, which gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Change & Process Size & Dimension

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.