尺

chě, chǐ

HSK 3.0Level 6

Frequency#1474

Definitions

chǐ (noun) Chinese foot; ruler; tape measure

chǐ (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, denoting a unit of length, originates from the concept of measurement based on the human body and is structurally composed of the component 尸, associated with personhood, combined with an additional stroke suggesting extension. Its initial meaning as a fixed distance approximating a foot later broadened to encompass the measuring instrument itself, such as a ruler, thus covering both the unit and the tool within its semantic range.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Xin dynasty (9-23 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这把尺子很新。

Zhè bǎ chǐzi hěn xīn.

This ruler is very new.

请告诉我你的尺寸。

Qǐng gàosù wǒ nǐ de chǐcùn.

Please tell me your measurements/size.

他用卷尺量了长度。

Tā yòng juǎnchǐ liáng le chángdù.

He measured the length with a tape measure.

画直线要用直尺。

Huà zhíxiàn yào yòng zhíchǐ.

You need a straightedge to draw straight lines.

师傅用千分尺测量零件。

Shīfu yòng qiānfēnchǐ cèliáng língjiàn.

The master used a micrometer to measure the component.

我们要把握好分寸和尺度。

Wǒmen yào bǎwò hǎo fēncùn hé chǐdù.

We need to grasp the propriety and limits well.

这张地图采用了缩尺绘图。

Zhè zhāng dìtú cǎiyòng le suōchǐ huìtú.

This map was drawn using a reduced scale.

一英尺大约等于三十厘米。

Yī yīngchǐ dàyuē děngyú sānshí límǐ.

One foot is approximately equal to thirty centimeters.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 尺

尺