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延长 (yán cháng) — to extend; to prolong

Definition

延长 (yáncháng) means to lengthen or extend something in time (or along a line). For postponing a deadline, prefer 延期; for stretching in space, 延伸 or 伸 are more common.

verb
to extendto prolong

Examples

  • 延长。
    Lǎo shī bǎ kǎo shì shí jiān yán cháng le èr shí fēn zhōng.
    The teacher extended the exam time by twenty minutes.
  • 延长？
    Zhè tiáo lù huì yán cháng dào nà ge chéng shì ma?
    Will this road extend to that city?
  • 延长。
    Wǒ men jué dìng yán cháng hé tong qī xiàn.
    We decided to extend the contract period.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

延yánextend
长chánglong

“延” means to stretch and “长” gives the result of becoming longer, so together they mean to prolong.

Characters in this word

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

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.

Open 延 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Size & DimensionTime (Abstract)

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