About
The character "厘" originates as a unit of measurement, specifically representing a hundredth part of a standard unit, such as a fen or a cun. Its structure, combining the semantic component "厂" (cliff or shelter, suggesting a base or foundation) with the phonetic and semantic component "里" (a village or a Chinese unit of distance), reflects its initial purpose in denoting a very small division of land or length. Over centuries, its application broadened beyond land measurement to become a standard decimal prefix in the Chinese measurement system, used for currency (as in a hundredth of a yuan) and length (a thousandth of a chi). The traditional form of this character is "釐", which shares the "里" component but incorporates "未" and "厂", carrying additional connotations of minuteness and regulation; however, the simplified "厘" has historically existed as a variant and ultimately took over the core meaning of a fractional unit, shedding the broader semantic range of "釐" which also once meant "to manage" or "fortune".
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这件衣服只差一厘米。
他测量了五厘米的长度。
误差不能超过一毫米。
这笔钱要精确到厘。
毫厘之差可能导致失败。
这项政策厘清了权责关系。
科学家需要厘米级的精度。
他的分析条分缕析，厘毫毕现。