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寸 (cùn) — (classifier) Chinese inch (approx. 3.33 cm, 1/10 of a Chinese foot)

Definition

寸 (cùn) is a traditional Chinese unit of length, about 3.3 cm — used in fixed phrases and idioms today, not everyday measurement. 拇指 ('thumb') was the original reference, but the words are unrelated now.

classifier
Chinese inch (approx. 3.33 cm, 1/10 of a Chinese foot)

Examples

  • 寸。
    Zhè kuài bù cháng yí cùn.
    This piece of cloth is one cun long.
  • 寸。
    Nà miàn qiáng kuān sān cùn.
    That wall is three cun wide.
  • 寸。
    Tā tāo chū sān cùn cháng de dīng zi.
    He took out a three-cun-long nail.

Origin

Indicative sign
六书liùshū
指事zhǐshì

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

寸 has two unrelated original forms: a line on the hand and an abbreviated form of another character. It was borrowed for its sound, so the picture is unrelated to the modern meaning.

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

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