长假
cháng jià · HSK 6
long vacation
🏖️ 长 = long + 假 = vacation/leave
长 means long (in time or length); 假 means leave or holiday. Together: a long vacation. Specifically refers to China's week-long Golden Week holidays starting May 1 (Labor Day) and Oct 1 (National Day).
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.
假 — person radical 亻 + 叚 (borrow)
假 combines the person radical 亻 with 叚, which originally meant 'to borrow' and provides the sound. The core idea is a person borrowing something, which extended to 'borrowed,' 'not real,' or 'fake.' From there it also developed the meaning 'leave/vacation' (time borrowed away from work).