长足
cháng zú · HSK 7
remarkable
🚀 long foot = giant strides forward, remarkable progress
长 (long) + 足 (foot/sufficient). Long feet take giant strides — when something makes 长足 progress, it leaps ahead remarkably. Often paired with 进步 (progress) or 发展 (development).
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.
足 — top 口 (mouth/enclosure) + bottom 止 (foot)
Originally a pictograph of a leg and foot, with the upper square representing the knee or shin and the lower part 止 depicting the foot itself. It primarily means 'foot' and by extension 'sufficient' or 'enough,' a meaning shift likely from the idea of standing firmly or having a solid footing.