院长
yuànzhǎng
The Chinese word for dean is 院长 (yuànzhǎng).
In a university setting, 院长 is used to refer to the head of a specific college or school, such as the Dean of a Medical School.
Meaning: senior official in college or university (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 院长 is composed of 院, meaning institution, department or college and 长, meaning head, chief or leader.
Which one should you use?
While 院长 is the standard term for a dean in an academic setting, it is also used to mean the director or head of a hospital or a large administrative department. If you specifically mean the head of an academic department rather than a dean of a college, you should use 系主任 (xì zhǔrèn).
How do you pronounce it?
yuànzhǎng
Did you know?
- The character 院 (yuàn) is the same character used in the word for 'courtyard'. This reflects the historical concept of an institution being a physical, enclosed compound of buildings.
- The character 长 in 院长 is pronounced zhǎng when it means 'leader' but cháng when it means 'long'. This is a classic example of a 'polyphone' where the meaning dictates the sound.
- In Chinese culture, calling someone by their title like 院长 is often preferred over using their name, as it shows respect for their rank and authority.
Examples in context
- 大学院长University dean
- 明天我们将和大学院长开会。Tomorrow, we will have a meeting with the university dean.
- 请问系主任在吗？Excuse me, is the department head available?
- 他是医学院的院长。Tā shì yī xué yuàn de yuànzhǎng.He is the dean of the medical school.
- 我想见一下艺术学院的院长。Wǒ xiǎng jiàn yīxià yìshù xuéyuàn de yuànzhǎng.I want to see the dean of the art college.
- 院长正在开会。Yuànzhǎng zhèngzài kāihuì.The dean is currently in a meeting.
Example conversation
Two students are talking in the university hallway.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你知道院长在哪儿吗？Nǐ zhīdào yuànzhǎng zài nǎ'er ma?Do you know where the dean is?
- 雨婷 Yuting他现在在办公室里。Tā xiànzài zài bàngōngshì lǐ.He is in his office right now.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我要去找他说明情况。Wǒ yào qù zhǎo tā shuōmíng qíngkuàng.I need to go find him to explain the situation.
- 雨婷 Yuting祝你好运。Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn.Good luck.
