长跑
cháng pǎo · HSK 6
long-distance running
🏃 长 (long) + 跑 (run) = long-distance running
长 means long or lengthy; 跑 means to run. Together the compound names the sport of running over long distances, as opposed to 短跑 (short + run) which is sprinting.
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.
跑 — foot 足 + wrap 包
A semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 gives the meaning (an action done with the feet), while 包 (bāo) hints at the sound, shifted to pǎo. Originally it could mean an animal pawing the ground, later generalizing to 'run'.