TongTong
Sign in

长途跋涉 (cháng tú bá shè) — a long and arduous journey; (figurative) a long, hard process

Definition

A formal chengyu for a long, exhausting journey — both literal (travel) and figurative (any grueling process of working toward a goal). It emphasizes the hardship and endurance required, not the distance alone.

idiom
a long and arduous journey(figurative) a longhard process

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā men jīng guò le yí cì cháng tú bá shè, zhōng yú dào dá le mù dì dì.
    They went through a long and arduous journey and finally reached their destination.
  • 长途跋涉。
    Xiě zhè běn shū duì tā lái shuō jiù shì yí cì jīng shén shàng de cháng tú bá shè.
    Writing this book was a long and grueling mental journey for him.
  • ，。
    Zhè cì tàn xiǎn xū yào kè fú hěn duō kùn nan, jiǎn zhí shì yí cì cháng tú bá shè.
    This expedition required overcoming many difficulties — it was practically a long and arduous journey.

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 way
长chánglong途túway
偏正Modifier + head
跋涉trudge
跋bátrudge涉shècross
联合Coordinate

长途 gives a long way and 跋涉 gives trudging through rough ground, together meaning a hard long journey.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
犮
犮bá跋bá
Same sound today

跋 pairs 足 (foot) with 犮, which gives the sound. The 足 part shows that the word is about using the feet.

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

涉 combines 水 (water) and 步 (walk), showing someone walking through water.

Open 涉 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesTravel & Tourism

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