延长

• Pinyin: yán cháng
• Hanzi breakdown: 延 = 廴 (long stride radical) + 正, to extend or prolong; 长 = ancient pictograph of long hair, meaning long

Meaning

To extend; to prolong; to lengthen. Refers to making something last longer or making a physical object longer.

Can apply to time (延长会议时间 — extend meeting time), duration (延长假期 — extend a holiday), physical length (延长管道 — extend a pipeline), or life expectancy (延长寿命). Commonly encountered in official contexts, schedules, and contracts.

Examples

1. 因为谈判还没结束，双方决定延长会议时间。 Since the negotiations were not yet finished, both sides decided to extend the meeting time.
2. 这次签证被延长了三个月。 This visa was extended by three months.
3. 天气太好，大家决定把户外活动再延长一个小时。 The weather was so nice that everyone decided to extend the outdoor activity by another hour.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, professional

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 会议时间需要延长半个小时。(The meeting needs to be extended by half an hour.)
• 申请延长签证的有效期。(Apply to extend the validity period of the visa.)

Don't Say

• 用'延长'表示缩短时间 (Don't use 延长 when you mean to shorten — the correct word for reducing time is 缩短)

Origin & History

A compound of 延 (to extend, from 廴 long stride + 正 upright) and 长 (long). Together they convey the idea of stretching or continuing something further.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal