院长

• Pinyin: yuàn zhǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 院 = 阝 (wall) + 完 (complete), meaning 'institution'; 长 = pictograph of long hair, meaning 'long/chief/head'

Meaning

Dean; director; head of an institution. The person in charge of an institution such as a hospital, college, or court.

The title varies depending on the institution: 医院院长 (hospital director), 学院院长 (college dean), 法院院长 (chief judge). A respectful title for the highest-ranking person at an institution. Can be used as a form of address.

Examples

1. 新来的院长很年轻。 The new dean is very young.
2. 院长今天在医院开会。 The director is having a meeting at the hospital today.
3. 同学们都很尊敬院长。 The students all respect the dean very much.

Usage Guide

Context: work, academic, institutions

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 院长，您好！(Hello, Director!)
• 我想见一下院长。(I'd like to see the dean.)

Don't Say

• 院长你过来一下。(Don't address a dean this casually — use respectful phrasing like 院长，请您过来一下.)

Origin & History

Compound of 院 (institution) and 长 (chief/head), literally 'institution chief.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal