接 jiē — to extend; to connect; to receive; to join
我去车站接朋友。Wǒ qù chē zhàn jiē péng you.I went to the station to pick up a friend.
Common words: 接受 (jiē shòu)、直接 (zhí jiē)、接着 (jiē zhe)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to extend"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to extend", including 接 (jiē), 延 (yán), 伸 (shēn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to extend" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 接 (jiē), 延 (yán), 伸 (shēn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiē, yán, shēn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 接 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 接 jiēto extend; to connect; to receive; to joinUseful words: 接受, 直接
- 延 yánto prolong; to extend; to delayUseful words: 延长, 延续
- 伸 shēnto stretch; to extendUseful words: 延伸, 伸手
Common words for these 3 "to extend" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 接 (jiē) — so "to extend" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
接受jiē shòuto accept (a suggestion, punishment, bribe etc); to acquiesce直接zhí jiēdirect; immediate; straightforward接着jiē zheto catch and hold on; to continue; to go on to do sth; to follow延长yán chángto prolong; to extend; to delay延续yán xùto continue; to go on; to last延期yán qīto delay; to extend; to postpone; to defer延伸yán shēnto extend; to stretch; to expand; to spread伸手shēn shǒuto reach out with one's hand; to hold out a hand; (fig.) to beg; to get involved伸缩shēn suōto lengthen and shorten; flexible; adjustable; retractable
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to extend".
延 yán — to prolong; to extend; to delay
因为下雨，运动会延期了。Yīn wèi xià yǔ, yùn dòng huì yán qī le.Because of the rain, the sports meet was postponed.
Common words: 延长 (yán cháng)、延续 (yán xù)、延期 (yán qī)
伸 shēn — to stretch; to extend
他伸出手，扶起了摔倒的老人。Tā shēn chū shǒu, fú qǐ le shuāi dǎo de lǎo rén.He reached out his hand and helped up the fallen old man.
Common words: 延伸 (yán shēn)、伸手 (shēn shǒu)、伸缩 (shēn suō)
All 3 characters
Open 接、延、伸 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.