Definitions

(noun) rice
(noun) meter

Etymology

Pictograph of grains of rice.

About

The character is a pictograph of grains of rice: a central cross-like shape with small strokes around it depicts threshed grains scattered among stalks or husks after harvesting. Its primary meaning is husked rice or the edible seeds of grain crops once the outer shell is removed. While this agricultural sense endures, the character was later borrowed purely for its sound to represent the metric unit of length, the meter. So now conveys both rice as a staple food and the international standard for measuring distance.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

饭很好吃。

Mǐfàn hěn hǎo chī.

Rice is delicious.

妈妈买了很多

Māma mǎi le hěn duō mǐ.

Mom bought a lot of rice.

是主要食物。

Dàmǐ shì zhǔyào shíwù.

Rice is a staple food.

请给我一些小

Qǐng gěi wǒ yīxiē xiǎomǐ.

Please give me some millet.

这个房间宽三

Zhège fángjiān kuān sān mǐ.

This room is three meters wide.

她穿了一件色外套。

Tā chuān le yī jiàn mǐsè wàitào.

She wore a beige coat.

饭的营养价值很高。

Mǐfàn de yíngyǎng jiàzhí hěn gāo.

The nutritional value of rice is very high.

用厘测量这张纸。

Yòng límǐ cèliáng zhè zhāng zhǐ.

Use centimeters to measure this paper.