校长

• Pinyin: xiào zhǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 校 = 木 (wood) + 交 (cross/exchange, phonetic); 长 = originally a pictograph of long hair, meaning 'long' or 'elder/chief'

Meaning

Principal; headmaster. The person in charge of a school.

Used for the head of any school level — primary, secondary, or university. In Chinese universities, 校长 is equivalent to a university president. Often addressed formally as 校长 without the surname in direct speech, though 王校长 (Principal Wang) is also common.

Examples

1. 我们的校长是一位女老师。 Our principal is a female teacher.
2. 校长今天在学校门口欢迎学生。 The principal welcomed students at the school gate today.
3. 新校长下个月就来了。 The new principal will arrive next month.

Usage Guide

Context: school, education, formal address

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 校长，您好！(Hello, Principal!)
• 我想去见校长。(I want to go see the principal.)

Don't Say

• 用校长称呼公司领导 (Don't use 校长 for a company boss — use 老板 or 经理 instead; 校长 is only for schools)

Origin & History

校 (xiào, school) + 长 (zhǎng, head/chief). Literally 'school chief' — the person who leads the school.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal