to open up, spread, sheet of paper, classifier for flat objects
English · to open up, spread, sheet of paper, classifier for flat objects
to spread, stretch out, or open
- 这张纸很大。zhè zhāng zhǐ hěn dà.This piece of paper is very big.
- 请 V 张嘴。qǐng zhāng zuǐ.Please open your mouth.
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left component (弓) is narrow and slightly tapered, while the right component (长) extends wider to maintain a balanced, stable frame.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form (張) and simplified form (张) share the exact same structure because the component parts (弓 and 长) were already simplified in standard cursive hand styles.
Radical 弓 · Bow radical (Archery bow, bending)
Semantic Clue (形旁): 弓 (Indicates bending or stretching action, like drawing a bowstring.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁): 长 (original sound: chang / zhang)
A bow (弓) is being pulled out and elongated (长) to fire an arrow, or stretched wide open like a bow string.
- 弓 Bow / stretching tool
- 长 Long / growing
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
9· Phonetic Root: 长 (cháng)Origin: Originally depicted an archer pulling a bow string to stretch it tight (弓 combined with a phonetic element representing lengthening or stretching). Over time, the meaning broadened from 'stretching a bow' to 'spreading, opening, and flat surfaces'.
Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of stretching a bow, it came to mean 'to spread out', then extended to flat objects that can be spread or opened (like paper or maps), and eventually became a common surname.
- Because bows are flexible and stretched out, the character naturally became a classifier for flat, stretchable items like hides, paper, and tables.
Imagine an archer holding a flexible bow (弓) and stretching it long (长) to open up a wide shot across the paper landscape.
zhāngUsing the wrong measure word for paper or flat objects by defaulting to '个' instead of using the specialized classifier '张'.
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