Long March

American

noun

the 6,000-mile (9,654-km) retreat of the Chinese Communist Party and Red Army from southeastern China (Jiangxi province) to the northwest (Yanan in Shaanxi province) in 1934–35, during which Mao Zedong became leader of the Communist party.

Long March British

noun

a journey of about 10 000 km (6000 miles) undertaken (1934–35) by some 100 000 Chinese Communists when they were forced out of their base in Kiangsi in SE China. They made their way to Shensi in NW China; only about 8000 survived the rigours of the journey

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Long March Cultural

An important event in the history of the Chinese communists. Driven from southern and eastern China by Chiang Kai-shek at the end of the 1920s, the communist leader Mao Zedong led his forces on a long march to safety in the northwest part of China. From there, they staged attacks on the Japanese invaders and eventually on Chinese government troops — attacks that led to their conquest of China in 1949.

Etymology

Origin of Long March

First recorded in 1935–40; translation of Chinese chángzhēng

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He had come to interview Mao at the end of the Long March, and every detail of their encounter was scripted by Communist propagandists.

From The Wall Street Journal

China’s heavy-lift rockets for lunar landings, like the Long March 9 and 10, won’t be ready for operation until 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal

Warren Buffett’s long march to investment immortality started very differently from how it is ending.

From Barron's

She missed the long march from the dormitories to the dining hall every morning, during which the girls bellowed the school song with great feeling and even greater volume, in order to wake themselves up.

From Literature

Penelope, too, had been using the occasion of their long march into the woods to review some of the finer points of the English language.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023