久

Temporal duration: refers to a long period, distance in time, or the passage of time. This includes endurance and stability over time, as well as the gap between a past event and the present. In contexts of waiting or expectation, it can denote protraction (growing late), suggesting a period has become overdue.

• Adjective/Noun: A long time; longevity.
• Adverb: To act or wait for a long duration.

// Predicate: Frequently appears in the pattern 久矣 (//jiǔ yǐ*) to indicate "it has been a long time."

// Negation (不久 //bù jiǔ*): Depending on context, indicates either short duration ("not for long") or imminence ("soon/shortly").

• Contrast with 長: While 長 covers both physical length and temporal duration, 久 is almost exclusively temporal and often emphasizes the experience or weight of the interval.
• Contrast with 晚: While 晚 refers to clock-time or the end of a day, 久 focuses on the stretching or protraction of an interval.

In poetic or philosophical contexts, be alert for a conceptual blend between temporal distance and physical space; "long time" may signal a corresponding feeling of remoteness or longing.