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长征 (cháng zhēng) — (noun) the Long March (the 1934–1935 strategic retreat of the Chinese Red Army); (noun) a long, arduous journey or undertaking; (verb) to go on a long march or expedition

Definition

Proper-noun name of the Red Army's 1934–1935 Long March, plus a figurative 'long, grueling undertaking.' Spatial length only — for long in TIME, use 久.

noun
the Long March (the 1934–1935 strategic retreat of the Chinese Red Army)a longarduous journey or undertaking
verb
to go on a long march or expedition

Examples

  • 长征。
    cháng zhēng Shì zhōng guó gé mìng shǐ shàng zuì zhòng yào de shì jiàn zhī yī.
    The Long March is one of the most important events in the history of the Chinese revolution.
  • ，。
    Chuàng yè jiù xiàng yí cì cháng zhēng, xū yào yì lì hé yǒng qì.
    Starting a business is like a long march — it requires perseverance and courage.
  • 长征，陕。
    Hóng jūn cháng zhēng le liǎng wàn wǔ qiān lǐ, zuì zhōng dào dá shǎn běi.
    The Red Army marched 25,000 li and finally reached northern Shaanxi.

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
征zhēngjourney

The sense of 长 (long) and 征 (journey) together describes a long expedition, including the famous Long March.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徵; 征 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 征 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (特征, 象征) it is 徵; in others it is 征.

The story is about the traditional form 徵. It originally meant punishment, from a picture of a knife with tooth-shaped protrusions on its back; later forms kept that sense.

Open 征 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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