长达
chángdá · HSK 7
lengthen out to
📏 long + reach — something that STRETCHES OUT to a length
长 means long, 达 means to reach or arrive. Together they describe duration or length that extends out to some amount, like a road trip lasting up to ten hours.
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.