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漫长 (màn cháng) — very long, seemingly endless (of time, journey, process)

Definition

漫长 describes time, journeys, or processes that feel endless — emotionally weighty. 冗长 is for boring, wordy writing/speech; 无边无际 is for vast space, not time.

adjective
very longseemingly endless (of time, journey, process)

Examples

  • 漫长，。
    Jīng guò màn cháng de děng dài, tā zhōng yú chéng gōng le.
    After a long wait, he finally succeeded.
  • 漫长。
    Zhè cì màn cháng de lǚ xíng ràng wǒ xué dào le hěn duō.
    This long journey taught me a lot.
  • 漫长，。
    Zài màn cháng de suì yuè lǐ, tā shǐ zhōng jiān chí zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.
    Throughout the long years, he always held on to his dreams.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

漫mànlong
长chánglong

漫 and 长 both convey length, so together they describe something seemingly endless.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
曼
曼màn漫
Same sound today

漫 uses 氵 (water) and 曼 for the sound; 曼 also means “vast, extended,” showing water spread out or overflowing.

Open 漫 →

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
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