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公尺 (gōng chǐ) — (classifier) meter (unit of length)

Definition

公尺 (gōngchǐ) is the traditional/Chinese-system name for the meter, the basic unit of length. In mainland China 米 is far more common today; 公尺 is mainly seen in Taiwan and older writing.

classifier
meter (unit of length)

Examples

  • 公尺。
    Zhè tiáo hé kuān yuē yì bǎi gōng chǐ.
    This river is about one hundred meters wide.
  • 公尺。
    Tā pǎo le bā bǎi gōng chǐ.
    He ran eight hundred meters.
  • 公尺。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān yǒu wǔ gōng chǐ cháng.
    This room is five meters long.

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
尺chǐunit of length

公 is metric and 尺 is a unit of length, so the result is the meter.

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 →

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.

Open 尺 →
Appears in
Units & Measurement

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