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长城 (Cháng chéng) — the Great Wall (of China); an impregnable bulwark or stronghold (figurative); a trustworthy, reliable person (colloquial)

Definition

Literally 'the Great Wall' and always capitalized — refers specifically to China's Great Wall, not walls elsewhere. Figuratively it means a rock-solid defense or a person you can fully rely on.

noun
the Great Wall (of China)an impregnable bulwark or stronghold (figurative)a trustworthyreliable person (colloquial)

Examples

  • ，长城。
    Qù nián shǔ jià wǒ qù le běi jīng, cān guān le Cháng chéng.
    Last summer I went to Beijing and visited the Great Wall.
  • 长城，。
    Zhè dào fáng xiàn jiù shì wǒ men de Cháng chéng, jué bù néng ràng dí rén tū pò.
    This defense line is our bulwark; we must never let the enemy break through.
  • 长城，。
    Lǎo zhāng shì wǒ men gōng sī de Cháng chéng, shén me shì qing jiāo gěi tā dōu fàng xīn.
    Old Zhang is our company's rock; anything entrusted to him is worry-free.

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.

长chánglong
城chéngwall

The idea of 长, long, joined with 城, wall, names the Great Wall.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
土土tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng城chéng
Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Open 城 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 4China — PlacesLandmarks & Attractions

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