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寸

cùn
measure word HSK 5 #4,864

Meanings

  1. 1 a traditional Chinese unit of length (about 3.33 cm)
  2. 2 inch (informal usage)

Characters

寸
cùn
inch; a tiny amount
A hand with a dot marking the pulse point on the wrist — the width of that spot became a unit of measure

Examples

一寸光阴一寸金。
Yí cùn guāngyīn yí cùn jīn.
An inch of time is worth an inch of gold.
她的照片是两寸的。
Tā de zhàopiàn shì liǎng cùn de.
Her photo is two inches.
得寸进尺。
Dé cùn jìn chǐ.
Give him an inch and he'll take a mile.

Tips

culture
一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴 is a classic Chinese proverb: 'An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.' It teaches the preciousness of time.
usage
In modern usage, 寸 often refers to screen size in inches (e.g., 6.7寸屏幕, a 6.7-inch screen) or photo sizes (一寸照片, a 1-inch ID photo).

Stroke Order

寸 cùn