How to Say "Great Wall" in Chinese

长城

The phrase great wall in Chinese is 长城.

What does it mean word for word?

The term 长城 is composed of 长 (cháng), meaning 'long' and 城 (chéng), meaning 'wall' or 'city wall'.

In modern Chinese, 长城 is often used as a metaphor for any strong defensive barrier. This is why the 'Great Firewall' of China is called 防火长城, combining the word for 'firewall' with the word for the 'Great Wall'.
There is a famous Chinese proverb, 不到长城非好汉, which translates to 'One who has not reached the Great Wall is not a true man'. It uses the wall as a symbol of perseverance and achievement.
In some ancient Chinese texts, the wall was referred to as the 'Ten Thousand Li Wall', where 'Li' is a traditional unit of distance.

中国与蒙古隔着万里长城。
China and Mongolia are separated by the Great Wall of China.
This sentence shows how the Great Wall can act as a divider between China and Mongolia.
Tatoeba #876374 by GlossaMatik, translation #876378 by CN
我男朋友还没有去过长城。
My boyfriend still hasn't been to the Great Wall.
This sentence is useful for discussing someone's travel experiences regarding the Great Wall.
Tatoeba #1216113 by Takuya, translation #1230530 by alec
看到那座壮丽的长城真令人惊叹！(Kàn dào nà zuò zhuànglì de chángchéng zhēn lìngrén jīngtàn!)
Seeing that magnificent Great Wall is truly awe-inspiring!
登上万里长城的顶峰是我生命中最壮丽的时刻。(Dēng shàng wànlǐ chángchéng de dǐngfēng shì wǒ shēngmìng zhōng zuì zhuànglì de shíkè.)
Climbing to the peak of the Great Wall was the most magnificent moment of my life.
明天我们要去长城玩，你想和我们一起去吗？(Míngtiān wǒmen yào qù chángchéng wán, nǐ xiǎng hé wǒmen yīqǐ qù ma?)
We are going to the Great Wall tomorrow, do you want to join us?
长城非常壮观。
Chángchéng fēicháng zhuàngguān.
The Great Wall is very magnificent.

Two friends are planning a trip to Beijing.

浩然 Haoran

我们要不要去爬长城？
Wǒmen yào bù yào qù pá Chángchéng?
Do you want to go climb the Great Wall?
佳怡 Jiayi

好啊，我也很想去。
Hǎo a, wǒ yě hěn xiǎng qù.
Sure, I really want to go too.
浩然 Haoran

佳怡，你带相机了吗？
Jiāyí, nǐ dài xiàngjī le ma?
Jiayi, did you bring your camera?
佳怡 Jiayi

带了，我要拍很多照片。
Dài le, wǒ yào pāi hěnduō zhàopiàn.
I did, I want to take many photos.

Sources

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