万里长城 (Wàn lǐ Cháng chéng) — the Great Wall of China

Definition

The full, formal Chinese name for the Great Wall — literally 'ten-thousand-li Long Wall' — used in writing, history, and tour commentary. In everyday speech speakers often shorten it to just 长城.

noun
the Great Wall of China

Examples

  • 万里长城。
    Wàn lǐ Cháng chéng Shì shì jiè shàng zuì zhù míng de jiàn zhù zhī yī.
    The Great Wall is one of the most famous structures in the world.
  • 万里长城。
    Qù nián shǔ jià wǒ gēn jiā rén qù běi jīng cān guān le Wàn lǐ Cháng chéng.
    Last summer vacation I visited the Great Wall in Beijing with my family.
  • 万里长城，。
    Zhàn zài Wàn lǐ Cháng chéng shàng yuǎn tiào, jǐng sè fēi cháng zhuàng guān.
    Standing on the Great Wall and looking into the distance, the view is magnificent.

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.

万里ten thousand li
万wànten thousand里lǐli
偏正Modifier + head
长城long wall
长chánglong城chéngwall
偏正Modifier + head

万里 gives a vast distance, and 长城 names the long 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 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ裡lǐ
Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Open 里 →

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 →

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