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滋长 (zī zhǎng) — to grow, to develop (often of negative tendencies or emotions)

Definition

A literary verb for negative feelings, habits, or trends gradually growing or taking hold. Distinct from 生长 (neutral biological growth) — 滋长 always implies something unwelcome spreading.

verb
to growto develop (often of negative tendencies or emotions)

Examples

  • 滋长。
    Bù liáng qíng xù zài tuán duì zhōng zhú jiàn zī zhǎng qǐ lái.
    Bad emotions gradually grew in the team.
  • ，滋长。
    Rú guǒ bù jí shí jiū zhèng, zhè zhǒng fēng qì huì zī zhǎng.
    If not corrected in time, this trend will grow.
  • 滋长。
    Tā de xīn zhōng zī zhǎng le yì zhǒng qiáng liè de zé rèn gǎn.
    A strong sense of responsibility grew in his heart.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

滋zīnourish/grow
长chánggrow

滋 (nourish/grow) and 长 (grow) combine to mean grow or increase, often of tendencies.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
茲
茲zī滋zī
Same sound today

滋 pairs 水 (water) with 茲, which gives it its sound.

Open 滋 →

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 2.0 Level 6

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