锱 (zī): an ancient unit of weight (abou…

Meanings

1 an ancient unit of weight (about six or eight zhu)
2 a tiny amount

Characters

锱

zī

an ancient tiny weight unit

Examples

他锱铢必较，分毫都要算清。

Tā zī zhū bì jiào, fēnháo dōu yào suàn qīng.

He haggles over every tiny detail, calculating to the last fraction.

虽分国如锱铢。

Suī fēn guó rú zīzhū.

Even a kingdom he would treat as lightly as a tiny weight.

Tips

usage

Mostly seen in 锱铢必较 ('to haggle over every penny'). 锱 and 铢 were both minuscule old weight units, so the pair stands for the smallest measurable amount.

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal

Left side 钅 is the metal radical 金 in side form — weights and measures were cast in metal, so the radical fits the 'unit of weight' sense.

phonetic

甾 zī

sound element

Right side 甾 gives the reading zī with no tone change — a straightforward phonetic.

Stroke Order

锱 zī

Related Words

锱铢必较 zīzhū-bìjiào #64,869

to haggle over every penny / to quibble over trifles / petty and calculating

磅 bàng HSK 7-9 #1,969

pound (unit of weight, ~454 g) / scale (for weighing) / to weigh (on a scale) / point (typographic unit)

担 dàn HSK 7-9 #9,676

a load carried on a shoulder pole / picul (a unit of weight, 100 catties, about 50 kg) / classifier for loads carried on a shoulder pole

寸 cùn HSK 5 #4,864

a traditional Chinese unit of length (about 3.33 cm) / inch (informal usage)

操心 cāoxīn HSK 7-9 #4,636

to worry about / to be concerned about / to take care of

单位 dānwèi HSK 2 #4,282

work unit / unit (of measure)

尺 chǐ HSK 4 #3,448

ruler / Chinese foot (unit of length, about 33.3 cm)

镑 bàng #5,587

pound (currency) / pound (unit of weight)

惦记 diànjì HSK 7-9 #10,973

to think about / to keep thinking about / to be concerned about

关心 guānxīn HSK 2 #792

to care about / to be concerned about