TongTong
Sign in

长途电话 (cháng tú diàn huà) — long-distance call

Definition

A compound noun for a long-distance phone call — contrasted with 本地电话 (local call). Collocates with 打 (to make a call).

noun
long-distance call
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 长途电话。
    Wǒ zuó tiān dǎ le yí gè cháng tú diàn huà gěi mā ma.
    I made a long-distance call to my mother yesterday.
  • 长途电话。
    cháng tú diàn huà De fèi yòng bǐ běn dì diàn huà gāo hěn duō.
    The cost of long-distance calls is much higher than local calls.
  • 长途电话。
    Xiàn zài yòng shǒu jī dǎ cháng tú diàn huà yǐ jīng hěn pián yi le.
    Nowadays, calling long-distance with a mobile phone is already very cheap.

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.

长途long distance
长chánglong途túroute
偏正Modifier + head
电话telephone
电diànelectricity话huàspeech
偏正Modifier + head

长途 gives 'long route' and 电话 gives 'electric speech', so a call over a long route.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú途
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

途 is made from 辶 (written fully as 辵), a walking part, and 余, which gives the sound.

Open 途 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →
Appears in
Phones & Telecom

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.