周长 (zhōu cháng) — perimeter; circumference; girth

Definition

noun

perimetercircumferencegirth

周长。
Qǐng jì suàn zhè ge yuán de zhōu cháng shì duō shǎo.
Please calculate the circumference of this circle.
周长。
Jǔ xíng de zhōu cháng děng yú cháng jiā kuān chéng yǐ èr.
The perimeter of a rectangle equals length plus width times two.
周长20。
Zhè ge zhèng fāng xíng de zhōu cháng shì 20 lí mǐ.
The perimeter of this square is 20 centimeters.

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.

周 and 长 combine the idea of going around with length, giving perimeter.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The oldest form of 周 drew a jade artifact with carved patterns. It was later borrowed for a place name, so an extra mark was added to distinguish it.

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.