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长度 (cháng dù) — length

Definition

长度 (chángdù) is the standard noun for physical length (of an object or distance). Compared to 长短, it sounds more technical and formal, and rarely carries 长短's sense of 'right and wrong'.

noun
length

Examples

  • 长度。
    Zhè zhāng zhuō zi de cháng dù shì liǎng mǐ.
    The length of this table is two meters.
  • 长度。
    Wǒ men xū yào cè liáng zhè tiáo lù de cháng dù.
    We need to measure the length of this road.
  • 长度。
    Nǐ kě yǐ yòng chǐ zi liáng yí xià cháng dù.
    You can use a ruler to measure the length.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

长chánglong
度dùdegree

From 长 meaning long and 度 meaning degree, giving the measure of how long something is.

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 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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
石
石shí度dù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Open 度 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Size & Dimension

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