TongTong
Sign in

长成 (zhǎng chéng) — to grow into; to develop into (after a process of growth)

Definition

长成 (zhǎng chéng) means 'to grow into' — emphasizes a slow process of development reaching a final form. Unlike 成长 (zhǎng chéng, 'to grow up'), it focuses on the end state rather than the ongoing process.

verb
to grow intoto develop into (after a process of growth)

Examples

  • 长成。
    Zhè hái zi yǐ jīng zhǎng chéng yí gè dǒng shì de shào nián le.
    This child has already grown into a sensible teenager.
  • 长成。
    Xiǎo shù miáo màn màn zhǎng chéng le cān tiān dà shù.
    The sapling slowly grew into a towering tree.
  • 长成。
    Tā xī wàng nǚ ér néng zhǎng chéng yí gè dú lì de rén.
    She hopes her daughter can grow into an independent person.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

长chánggrow
成chéngbecome

长 (grow) plus 成 (become) gives grow into or develop to completion.

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →
Appears in
Change & Process

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.