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车长 (chē cháng) — train conductor, train master

Definition

车长 (chēzhǎng) is the senior crew member on a train, in charge of the train and passengers. Note the pronunciation: 车长 is read chēzhǎng here, not chēcháng.

noun
train conductortrain master
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 车长，。
    Zhè wèi chē cháng jīng yàn fēng fù, yǐ jīng gōng zuò le èr shí nián.
    This train master is very experienced and has been working for twenty years.
  • 车长。
    chē cháng Zhèng zài jiǎn chá chē xiāng de ān quán shè bèi.
    The train master is checking the safety equipment in the carriages.
  • 车长。
    Chéng kè yǒu wèn tí kě yǐ zhǎo chē cháng bāng máng.
    Passengers can ask the train master for help if they have problems.

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.

车chētrain
长chángchief

车 names the train and 长 names the person in charge, so the word means the train's chief.

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 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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 →
Appears in
Trains & TransitProfessions & Jobs

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