张 (zhāng) — to open up; to spread; (classifier) for flat objects such as paper, photos, and tables; (classifier) for votes or ballots
Definition
As a verb, 张 means 'to open up / spread' (e.g., a mouth, eyes, paper). As a classifier, use it for flat objects like paper, photos, and tables — not for written pieces, where 篇 is used.
verb
to open upto spread
classifier
for flat objects such as paperphotosand tablesfor votes or ballots
Examples
- 张。Qǐng zhāng yí xià zuǐ.Please open your mouth.
- 张。Wǒ mǎi le sān zhāng bái zhǐ.I bought three sheets of white paper.
- 张。Jiào shì lǐ yǒu shí zhāng xīn zhuō zi.There are ten new desks in the classroom.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 張; 张 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng張zhāng
Same sound today
The traditional form 張 combines 弓, a bow, with 長, which points to the sound; the simplified 张 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.
Appears in
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