长假

• Pinyin: cháng jià
• Hanzi breakdown: 长 = long; 假 = 亻(person) + 叚 (phonetic), vacation or leave

Meaning

Long holiday; extended vacation. A vacation period of several consecutive days.

Refers to extended holiday periods, typically the National Day Golden Week or Spring Festival in China, which last around seven days. Also used for any vacation longer than a typical weekend. Common in discussions about travel plans, work schedules, and holiday arrangements.

Examples

1. 国庆长假期间，各大景区游客爆满。 During the National Day long holiday, all major tourist attractions were packed with visitors.
2. 我打算利用这次长假去云南旅行。 I plan to use this long holiday to travel to Yunnan.
3. 长假还没开始，高铁票就已经售罄了。 The long holiday hasn't even started yet, and the high-speed rail tickets are already sold out.

Usage Guide

Context: travel, work, holidays

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 长假你有什么安排？(What are your plans for the long holiday?)
• 每到长假，机票价格就翻倍。(Every time there's a long holiday, airfare doubles.)

Don't Say

• 注意'长假'和'请长假'的区别 (Don't confuse 长假 'public long holiday' with 请长假 'taking extended leave from work' — context matters)

Origin & History

Compound of 长 (long) + 假 (vacation, holiday). Became especially common after China established the Golden Week holidays in 1999.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal