处长
chùzhǎng · HSK 6
head
🏢 处 chù (department) + 长 zhǎng (chief) = department chief
处 means office or department; 长 means chief or head when read zhǎng. Same 长 appears in 校长 (principal) and 班长 (class leader). A 处长 heads a 处-level office in a ministry or bureau.
处 — 夂 (foot) + 几 (low table/stool)
Originally depicted a person stopping (夂, an inverted foot) beside a stool (几), suggesting someone settling down in a place. From 'to dwell/stay' the meaning broadened to 'place, location' (chù) and 'to handle, deal with' (chǔ). The simplified form drops the older 虍 top found in 處.
长 — pictograph of long-haired person with cane
Originally a pictograph showing a person with long, flowing hair leaning on a cane, representing an elder. The meaning extended from 'long hair' to 'long' in general, and also to 'elder' or 'to grow' (read zhǎng). The modern form 长 is a simplification of the traditional 長.