院长 (yuànzhǎng) · director

院长 (yuànzhǎng) means “director; dean; head of a hospital or college”. It is written with 2 characters: 院 (courtyard) + 长 (long). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 院长 is built

The characters

院 yuàn · courtyard

What 院 is made of

阝fù / yì (names) — mound/city side-form
- 丨 — vertical stroke
完wán — finish
- 宀 — roof
  - 丶 — dot
  - 冖mì — cover
- 元yuán — yuan
  - 二 — two strokes
  - 儿ér — child

Origin hint: 阝 gives the meaning, 完 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

长 cháng · long

What 长 is made of

一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: Simplified form of 長; an old man with long hair and a cane (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

院长在开会。Yuànzhǎng zài kāihuì.The director is in a meeting.

他是这家医院的院长。Tā shì zhè jiā yīyuàn de yuànzhǎng.He is the head of this hospital.

Questions about 院长

What does 院长 mean?

院长 (yuànzhǎng) means “director; dean; head of a hospital or college”.

How do you pronounce 院长?

院长 is pronounced yuànzhǎng.

Which HSK level is 院长?

院长 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021).

Related words

Learn 院长 with its group

It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 70: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group