狭长 (xiá cháng) — long and narrow | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

long and narrow

狭长。
Zhè ge zǒu láng hěn xiá cháng.
This corridor is long and narrow.
狭长。
Tā zhù zài yí gè xiá cháng de fáng jiān lǐ.
He lives in a long and narrow room.
狭长。
Nà tiáo hé liú yòu xiá cháng yòu shēn.
That river is both long and narrow and deep.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

狭 narrow and 长 long together describe a long, narrow shape.

Characters in this word

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 狹; 狭 is its simplified writing.

犭夾狹

Meaning part形符xíngfú

犭Written in full as犬quǎndog

Sound part声符shēngfú

夾

夾jiā狹xiá

Same sound today

The traditional form 狹 pairs 犭 (dog) with 夾 as a sound part; the simplified 狭 is a later shorthand.

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.