TongTong
Sign in

公分 (gōng fēn) — (measure word) centimeter (colloquial); (measure word) gram (colloquial)

Definition

公分 is the colloquial classifier for both 'centimeter' (length) and 'gram' (weight); the formal alternatives are 厘米 and 克. Use it the same way: number + 公分 + thing.

classifier
centimeter (colloquial)gram (colloquial)

Examples

  • 公分。
    Zhè zhāng zhuō zi cháng yì bǎi gōng fēn.
    This table is 100 cm long.
  • 公分。
    Wǒ mǎi le wǔ bǎi gōng fēn niú ròu.
    I bought 500 grams of beef.
  • 公分。
    Zhè tiáo shéng zi yǒu sān gōng fēn cū.
    This rope is 3 cm thick.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

公gōngmetric
分fēndivision

公 gives the standard metric sense and 分 the unit division, naming the centimeter.

Characters in this word

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

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

Open 公 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →
Appears in
Units & Measurement

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.