长江 (Cháng jiāng) — Yangtze River | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Yangtze River

长江。
Cháng jiāng Shì shì jiè shàng zuì cháng de hé liú zhī yī.
The Yangtze River is one of the longest rivers in the world.
长江。
Hěn duō chéng shì dōu zài Cháng jiāng biān shàng.
Many cities are located along the Yangtze River.
长江。
Zuò chuán yóu Cháng jiāng shì hěn hǎo de tǐ yàn.
Taking a boat trip on the Yangtze River is a great experience.

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.

长 means long and 江 means river, naming the great long river.

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.

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

氵工江

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng江jiāng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

江 puts 氵, the water side, beside 工, which gives a sound; the water part points to its river meaning.

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