分寸

fēncun

noun HSK 7-9 #25,061

Meanings

说话要注意分寸。

Shuōhuà yào zhùyì fēncun.

You should be mindful of propriety when speaking.

他做事很有分寸。

Tā zuòshì hěn yǒu fēncun.

He handles things with a good sense of propriety.

memory

分 and 寸 are both tiny units of measurement. Knowing the right 分寸 means knowing exactly where the fine line is - not too much, not too little.

usage

有分寸 (having a sense of propriety) is a compliment. 没分寸 (lacking propriety) means someone is tactless or crosses boundaries.

分 fēn

寸 cùn