历程

• Pinyin: lì chéng
• Hanzi breakdown: 历 = 厂 + 力 (to pass through/experience); 程 = 禾 + 呈 (journey/process)

Meaning

Course of development; journey; the process through which something or someone has passed over a significant period of time.

More formal and weighty than 过程, implying a meaningful passage marked by effort, change, or significance. Used for a nation's historical development, a person's life journey, or a major project's evolution.

Examples

1. 这本传记详细记录了他从贫困农村走向科研高峰的奋斗历程。 This biography documents in detail his hard-fought journey from a poor rural village to the heights of scientific research.
2. 回顾改革开放以来的发展历程，中国经历了翻天覆地的变化。 Looking back on the course of development since reform and opening up, China has undergone earthshaking changes.
3. 每一项重大技术突破背后，都有一段充满曲折与探索的历程。 Behind every major technological breakthrough is a journey full of twists, setbacks, and exploration.

Usage Guide

Context: history, biography, national narrative, project review

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 她在毕业典礼上回顾了自己四年来的求学历程，感慨万千。(At the graduation ceremony, she looked back on her four-year academic journey with deep emotion.)
• 这部纪录片完整呈现了这座城市百年工业化的历程。(This documentary comprehensively presents the century-long course of industrialisation in this city.)

Don't Say

• 用'历程'描述短暂或日常的过程 — 该词暗含时间跨度长且意义重大的含义，描述普通步骤或流程应用'过程'或'流程'

Origin & History

历 (to pass through/experience in succession) + 程 (journey/course/stage)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal