zēngzhǎng: 增长 - To Grow, To Increase, Growth

• Keywords: zengzhang, 增长, Chinese for increase, Chinese for growth, China's economic growth, population growth in Chinese, 增长 meaning, zengzhang vs fazhan, how to say grow in Chinese, HSK 4 vocabulary.
• Summary: Discover the meaning of 增长 (zēngzhǎng), a fundamental Chinese word for “to grow” or “to increase.” Essential for understanding discussions about China's economic growth, business performance, and population statistics, 增长 (zēngzhǎng) refers to a quantifiable increase in number or amount. This page breaks down its characters, cultural significance, and practical usage, providing clear examples and explaining the key difference between 增长 (zēngzhǎng) and the related concept of “development” (发展 fāzhǎn).

• Pinyin (with tone marks): zēngzhǎng
• Part of Speech: Verb, Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: To increase in amount or number; growth or an increase.
• In a Nutshell: Think of 增长 (zēngzhǎng) as “growth” that you can measure with a ruler, a scale, or a spreadsheet. It's a formal and data-oriented term used to describe an increase in things like profits, population, height, or economic output. While a person “develops” in complex ways, their height specifically “grows” (增长).

• 增 (zēng): To increase, to add. The character is composed of 土 (tǔ) on the left, meaning “earth” or “soil,” and a phonetic component on the right. A simple way to remember it is to imagine piling up more earth (土), thus “increasing” the mound.
• 长 (zhǎng): To grow, to develop. This is a different pronunciation and meaning from “cháng” (long). The character is a pictograph of a person with long, flowing hair, symbolizing aging and the process of growing up.
• Together: The characters 增 (increase) and 长 (grow) combine to create a direct and unambiguous meaning: to increase through growth, or simply, “growth.”

In modern China, 增长 (zēngzhǎng) is more than just a word; it's a national indicator of progress and a cornerstone of public discourse. For decades, “经济增长” (jīngjì zēngzhǎng - economic growth) has been a primary goal of the Chinese government and a source of immense national pride. It represents the country's rapid rise on the world stage and the tangible improvement in the lives of hundreds of millions of people. This contrasts with Western perspectives where “growth” can sometimes be viewed with suspicion (e.g., “unsustainable growth,” “cancerous growth”). In China, 增长 is overwhelmingly positive, synonymous with strength, stability, and success. A city government's performance is judged by its GDP 增长, and a company's value is tied directly to its profit 增长. It reflects a deep-seated belief that quantitative increase is a direct measure of a better future.

增长 is most common in formal, written, or data-driven contexts. You will hear it constantly in the news, business meetings, and academic reports.

• In Economics and Business: This is the word's home turf. It is used to discuss GDP, sales, revenue, profit, and market share.
  • Connotation: Formal, objective, positive.
• In Statistics and Demographics: It's the standard term for discussing changes in population, data points, or any other measurable quantity.
  • Connotation: Neutral, scientific.
• In Personal or Abstract Contexts: While less common, it can be used formally to describe the growth of knowledge or experience, but other words like 提高 (tígāo - to improve) are often more natural in conversation.

• Example 1:
  • 中国经济持续增长。
  • Pinyin: Zhōngguó jīngjì chíxù zēngzhǎng.
  • English: The Chinese economy continues to grow.
  • Analysis: This is a classic, textbook example you'll see in news headlines. It refers to the measurable, statistical growth of the economy (GDP).
• Example 2:
  • 公司今年的利润增长了百分之二十。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī jīnnián de lìrùn zēngzhǎng le bǎifēnzhī èrshí.
  • English: The company's profits grew by 20 percent this year.
  • Analysis: Here, 增长 is used as a verb to describe a specific, quantifiable increase in profits.
• Example 3:
  • 我们需要找到新的增长点。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen xūyào zhǎodào xīn de zēngzhǎng diǎn.
  • English: We need to find new points of growth.
  • Analysis: In this business context, 增长 is a noun. A “增长点” (zēngzhǎng diǎn) is a new area or product that can drive future revenue growth.
• Example 4:
  • 过去十年，这个城市的人口增长很快。
  • Pinyin: Guòqù shí nián, zhège chéngshì de rénkǒu zēngzhǎng hěn kuài.
  • English: In the past ten years, this city's population has grown very quickly.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses 增长 to talk about demographic change—a perfect use case for the term.
• Example 5:
  • 全球对可再生能源的需求正在迅速增长。
  • Pinyin: Quánqiú duì kě zàishēng néngyuán de xūqiú zhèngzài xùnsù zēngzhǎng.
  • English: The global demand for renewable energy is rapidly growing.
  • Analysis: This shows 增长 used for the increase in demand, which can be measured through market research and sales data.
• Example 6:
  • 由于经济衰退，我们公司今年是负增长。
  • Pinyin: Yóuyú jīngjì shuāituì, wǒmen gōngsī jīnnián shì fù zēngzhǎng.
  • English: Due to the economic recession, our company has had negative growth this year.
  • Analysis: “负增长” (fù zēngzhǎng) is a common, formal way to say “decline” or “contraction.” It literally means “negative growth.”
• Example 7:
  • 孩子的身高增长速度很正常。
  • Pinyin: Háizi de shēngāo zēngzhǎng sùdù hěn zhèngcháng.
  • English: The growth rate of the child's height is very normal.
  • Analysis: This example applies 增长 to a biological, measurable process. While a child “grows up” (长大 zhǎng dà), their height specifically “increases” (增长).
• Example 8:
  • 随着经验的增长，他变得越来越自信。
  • Pinyin: Suízhe jīngyàn de zēngzhǎng, tā biànde yuèláiyuè zìxìn.
  • English: As his experience grew, he became more and more confident.
  • Analysis: This is a more abstract use of 增长 as a noun. It frames “experience” as something that accumulates over time, like a resource. It's more formal than saying “he got more experience.”
• Example 9:
  • 公司的目标是实现销售额的持续增长。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī de mùbiāo shì shíxiàn xiāoshòu'é de chíxù zēngzhǎng.
  • English: The company's goal is to achieve sustained growth in sales revenue.
  • Analysis: This is common corporate jargon. “持续增长” (chíxù zēngzhǎng) means “sustained/continuous growth.”
• Example 10:
  • 我们的用户数量比去年同期增长了一倍。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen de yònghù shùliàng bǐ qùnián tóngqī zēngzhǎng le yí bèi.
  • English: Our number of users has doubled compared to the same period last year.
  • Analysis: A very specific, data-driven sentence. It uses 增长 to show a comparison over time. “增长了一倍” means “grew by one-fold,” or doubled.

The most common point of confusion for learners is the difference between 增长 (zēngzhǎng) and 发展 (fāzhǎn).

• 增长 (zēngzhǎng) = Quantitative Growth (Getting Bigger)
  • Focuses on numbers, amount, size, quantity.
  • Answers “How much did it increase?”
  • Example: 经济增长 (economic growth), 人口增长 (population growth).
• 发展 (fāzhǎn) = Qualitative Development (Getting Better/More Complex)
  • Focuses on progress, advancement, maturation, and complexity.
  • Answers “How did it improve or change?”
  • Example: 城市发展 (urban development), 科技发展 (technological development), 小孩的发展 (a child's development).

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: 我的中文水平增长了。 (Wǒ de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng zēngzhǎng le.)
• Why it's wrong: A “level” (水平 shuǐpíng) is a measure of quality or ability, not a simple quantity. It “improves” or is “raised,” it doesn't just increase in number. It sounds robotic and data-focused.
• Correct: 我的中文水平提高了。 (Wǒ de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng tígāo le.) - My Chinese level has improved.
• Correct: 我的中文进步了。 (Wǒ de Zhōngwén jìnbù le.) - My Chinese has progressed.

• 发展 (fāzhǎn) - Development, progress. The qualitative counterpart to 增长's quantitative focus.
• 增加 (zēngjiā) - To increase, to add. A very close synonym, often used as a verb. 增长 can be a noun, while 增加 is almost always a verb.
• 提高 (tígāo) - To raise, to improve. Used for quality, standards, levels, and abilities.
• 上涨 (shàngzhǎng) - To rise, to go up. Specifically used for prices, stocks, temperatures, or water levels.
• 扩大 (kuòdà) - To expand, to enlarge. Used when talking about increasing scope, area, or influence (e.g., expanding a factory).
• 减少 (jiǎnshǎo) - To decrease, to reduce. A direct antonym.
• 下降 (xiàjiàng) - To decline, to fall. The direct antonym of 上涨, used for prices, temperatures, etc.
• 负增长 (fù zēngzhǎng) - Negative growth. A formal term for decline or contraction, especially in economics.