漫长
màncháng · HSK 5
very long
⏳ 漫 (overflow/vast) + 长 (long) = stretched-out long, endless
漫 means overflowing or boundless (water 氵 spreading without limit); 长 means long. Together: a length that overflows normal bounds — drawn-out, tedious, endless. Used for time spans like 漫长的等待 (an endless wait).
漫 — water radical 氵 + 曼 màn (phonetic)
漫 is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning and 曼 supplies the sound. It originally described water overflowing or spreading without bounds, and from that came extended senses like 'free, unrestrained, aimless,' as in 漫步 'to stroll' or 浪漫 'romantic.'
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.