About
The character "寸" originated as a pictographic representation of a hand, specifically indicating the wrist pulse point, and this form became the basis for its use as a traditional Chinese unit of measurement approximately equivalent to an inch, derived from the distance between that point and the base of the hand. Over time, this concrete meaning of a small, standardized unit extended metaphorically to convey abstract notions of brevity or smallness, as seen in words meaning "a little" or "a moment". Its consistent and simple graphical form, which has remained unchanged between traditional and simplified orthographies, also functions as a radical in numerous other characters, often contributing a semantic sense related to the hand or measurement, such as in the character for "to oppose" where it implies a hand holding something in response.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这件衣服尺寸合适。
我需要知道桌子的尺寸。
这个屏幕有十英寸。
他说话很有分寸。
他理了一个寸头。
虽然只差一寸，但他还是没有够到。
在测量时，每一寸都要非常准确。
这个设计师注重每一寸布料的利用，以减少浪费。