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口径 (kǒu jìng) — bore, caliber, diameter, aperture (physical measurement of a circular opening); (figurative) stance, position, version (of events), official line

Definition

Literally the bore/caliber of a tube or opening (口径十厘米). Figuratively, it means the official 'line' or 'version' a person or group gives — closer to 立场 (stance) than to 说法 (wording) or 版本 (edition of a text).

noun
borecaliberdiameteraperture (physical measurement of a circular opening)(figurative) stancepositionversion (of events)official line

Examples

  • 口径。
    Zhè ge shuǐ guǎn kǒu jìng shì shí lí mǐ.
    The diameter of this water pipe is ten centimeters.
  • 口径，。
    Wǒ men bì xū tǒng yī kǒu jìng, bù néng yǒu máo dùn.
    We must align our stories; there must be no contradictions.
  • 口径。
    Tā men liǎng gè rén de kǒu jìng wán quán bù yí yàng.
    The two people's accounts are completely different.

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.

口kǒuopening
径jìngdiameter

口 (opening) and 径 (diameter) give the diameter of an opening.

Characters in this word

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徑; 径 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng徑
Same sound today

The traditional form 徑 is built from 彳 and 巠, with 巠 giving the sound; the simplified 径 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 径 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Units & Measurement5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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