长途
chángtú · HSK 4
distance
🛣️ 长途 = long + route/way (long-distance journey)
长 (cháng) means long; 途 (tú) means route or way. Together they describe long-distance travel, calls, or transport — anything covering significant distance.
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.