锱 (zī) · an ancient unit of weight (about six or eight zhu)

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

HSK 7-9

他锱铢必较，分毫都要算清。

Tā zīzhū-bìjiào, fēnháo dōu yào suàn qīng.

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

HSK 7-9

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 6 #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 4 #4,282

work unit / unit (of measure)

尺 chǐ HSK 6 #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 3 #792

to care about / to be concerned about