尺 (chǐ) — (classifier) a Chinese foot, a traditional unit of length equal to about 1/3 meter; (noun) a ruler, a tape measure

Definition

尺 is both a traditional length unit (one-third of a meter) and a noun for a ruler. Use the measure-word 尺 only for this unit; 尺子 is the everyday word for the measuring tool, 尺度 means 'standard/criterion'.

classifier
a Chinese foot, a traditional unit of length equal to about 1/3 meter
noun
a rulera tape measure
Measure word · 支, 把

Examples

  • 尺。
    Zhè tiáo shéng zi yǒu liǎng chǐ cháng.
    This rope is two Chinese feet long.
  • 尺。
    Wǒ mǎi le yì bǎ xīn chǐ.
    I bought a new ruler.
  • 尺。
    Tā yòng chǐ huà le yì tiáo xiàn.
    He used a ruler to draw a line.

Origin

Pictograph
六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíng

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape is thought to picture a hand with the thumb and middle finger spread apart, like a natural ruler for measuring length.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Measure WordsUnits & Measurement5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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