站长 (zhàn zhǎng) — station head, station manager, (website) webmaster

Definition

Compound noun meaning the person in charge of a 站: a transport station (bus/train) or a website. The first character carries the meaning; 长 here means 'head/manager'.

noun
station headstation manager(website) webmaster
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 站长。
    zhàn zhǎng Zhèng zài chǔ lǐ lǚ kè de wèn tí.
    The station master is handling the passengers' issues.
  • 站长。
    Zhè ge wǎng zhàn de zhàn zhǎng shì yí wèi hěn yǒu jīng yàn de chéng xù yuán.
    The webmaster of this site is a very experienced programmer.
  • 站长。
    Cháng tú qì chē zhàn de zhàn zhǎng fù zé diào dù suǒ yǒu chē liàng.
    The head of the long-distance bus station is responsible for dispatching all vehicles.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

站zhànstation
长chángleader

站 names the station and 长 names the leader, giving the person in charge of a station.

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
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn站zhàn
Same sound today

站 has 立 on the left and 占 on the right; 立 relates to standing, and 占 gives the sound.

Open 站 →

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 →

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