公差 (gōng chā) — tolerance (allowable deviation in engineering or manufacturing)

Definition

In engineering, 公差 (gōngchā) is the tolerance — the allowable deviation from a specified dimension, e.g. ±0.01 mm. It is a technical noun and does not mean the older sense of 'public errand'.

noun
tolerance (allowable deviation in engineering or manufacturing)

Examples

  • 公差0.01。
    Zhè ge líng jiàn de gōng chā shì zhèng fù 0. 01 háo mǐ.
    The tolerance for this part is plus or minus 0.01 millimeters.
  • 公差。
    Shè jì tú zhǐ shàng biāo míng le chǐ cùn gōng chā.
    The design drawing specifies the dimensional tolerance.
  • 公差。
    Zhuāng pèi shí xū yào yán gé kòng zhì pèi hé gōng chā.
    During assembly, the fit tolerance must be strictly controlled.

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gōngpublic
差chàerrand

公, public, and 差, an errand or duty, together denote a public assignment and the person sent.

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.

  • 來來láiwheat
  • 𠂇𠂇𠂇left hand

差 pairs 來 (wheat) with 𠂇 (left hand), showing wheat rubbed in a hand to remove its hull.

Open 差 →

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