长方形 (cháng fāng xíng) — rectangle

Definition

noun
rectangle
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 长方形。
    Zhè ge cháng fāng xíng de miàn jī shì èr shí píng fāng mǐ.
    The area of this rectangle is 20 square meters.
  • 长方形。
    Qǐng huà yí gè cháng fāng xíng.
    Please draw a rectangle.
  • 长方形。
    Zhè ge zhuō zi de zhuō miàn shì cháng fāng xíng de.
    The top of this table is rectangular.

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.

长方rectangular
长chánglong方fāngsquare
联合Side by side
形xíngshape

长 (long) and 方 (square) together give a 形 (shape) with rectangular sides.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 方 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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