长 (zhǎng) — (adjective) elder, senior in age; (adjective) eldest (in a family ranking)
Definition
长 (zhǎng) as an adjective means 'elder' / 'older' in family terms (e.g. 长兄, 长子), showing rank not just age. Unlike 大 (also 'older' before family titles), 长 stresses the senior position in the family.
adjective
eldersenior in ageeldest (in a family ranking)
Easily confused
Examples
- 。Tā shì zhǎng zǐ.He is the eldest son.
- 。Tā shì wǒ de zhǎng xiōng.He is my elder brother.
- 。Wǒ yǒu yí wèi nián zhǎng de péng you.I have an older friend.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA 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.
Appears in
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