Definitions
(noun)
Chinese foot; ruler; tape measure
(noun)
measurement point for pulse in Chinese medicine
Etymology
Origin unclear. Possibly a pictograph of a side view of a person with a mark on their leg indicating the length of one foot.
About
The character "尺" originated as a pictographic representation of a hand, specifically illustrating the span from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the forefinger, which served as an early and practical unit of linear measurement. Its structural composition, consisting of the component "尸" which often represents a human figure or posture, combined with a marking stroke, reinforces this concept of a defined human-based length. Over time, its meaning evolved from this specific anthropomorphic unit to denote a standardized Chinese foot, a unit of length approximately equal to one-third of a meter, and subsequently broadened to refer to any ruler or measuring tool used to determine linear dimensions, thereby shifting from a specific measure to the general instrument of measurement itself.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这把尺子很新。
请告诉我你的尺寸。
他用卷尺量了长度。
画直线要用直尺。
师傅用千分尺测量零件。
我们要把握好分寸和尺度。
这张地图采用了缩尺绘图。
一英尺大约等于三十厘米。