Chinlingo Chinese character: 久 and 长

[Do you know?]

Both "久" and "长" means a long time. Is there any difference between them?

[Definitions]

久 (jiǔ): long time

长 (chánɡ): long distance; length; strong point; be good at

[Uses]

"长" is polysemous. "长" and "久" mean the same when refering to time. Except that, they cannot be exchanged in other cases.

Examples

√ 我久久不能忘记你。(wǒ jiǔ jiǔ bù nénɡ wànɡ jì nǐ.)

I still couldn't forget you after a long time.

X我长长不能忘记你。

√ 长江全长6300多公里。(chánɡ jiānɡ quán chánɡ 6300 duō ɡōnɡ lǐ.)

The Yangtze River is more than 6,300m long.

X 长江全久6300多公里。

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