‘伸张’ is a verb meaning to uphold, enforce, or assert something intangible—especially justice, rights, truth, or fairness—that has been suppressed or ignored. Literally, 伸 (shēn) means 'to stretch out' or 'to extend', and 张 (zhāng) means 'to open up' or 'to unfold'; together, they evoke the image of stretching out and unfolding an abstract principle into reality—making it visible, effective, and authoritative.

This word carries strong moral and social weight and appears frequently in formal contexts: legal advocacy, civic activism, journalism, and public discourse. It implies active effort—not passive hope—and often involves confronting injustice or challenging power imbalances. While commonly used with nouns like 正义 (justice), 公理 (truth/fairness), or 权利 (rights), it rarely stands alone and almost never modifies concrete objects. It’s not used for physical actions or casual speech; its tone is solemn and principled.