长短

cháng duǎn

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun Rare

Definitions

1. length
2. accident; mishap
3. right and wrong; good and bad; merits and demerits

Word relationships

Related words

1 item

• 是非 shì fēi 是非 shì fēi right and wrong Both can refer to disputes or right and wrong: right and wrong

Synonyms

1 item

• 长度 cháng dù 长度 cháng dù length When referring to physical length or dimension: length

Usage notes

Common mistakes

长短 chángduǎn is often used in the negative to mean 'accident' or 'mishap', as in 万一有个长短 (wànyī yǒu ge chángduǎn) 'if anything unfortunate happens'; using it for physical length is less common in everyday speech compared to 长度 (chángdù).

Child Words of 长短

• 短 短 duǎn: short
• 长 长 cháng: length
• 长 长 zhǎng: chief