寸 (cùn) - A unit of length (about 3.33 cm) & inch

寸Tone 4

cùn ｜ 3 strokes ｜ radical: 寸

橙丁

寸 · cùn

A unit of length (about 3.

33 cm);

inch;

very small;

a little bit.

A unit of length (about 3.33 cm)inchvery small

Usage highlights

inchvery smalla little bitsquare inchhand spanland

Synonyms

  • 英寸— inch (modern unit)
  • 分— fen (smaller unit, 1/10 of a cun)

Antonyms

  • 丈— zhang (large unit, 10 chi)
  • 尺— chi (larger unit, 10 cun)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The screen is five inches long (五寸长).
  • He moved just an inch (一寸).
  • Every inch of land is precious (寸土寸金).

Collocations

  • inch(英寸)
  • very small(寸小)
  • a little bit(寸步)
  • square inch(方寸)
  • hand span(寸口)
  • land(寸土)

Idioms

  • Every inch of land is worth its weight in gold(寸土寸金)
  • Not an inch of progress(寸步难行)
  • A tiny bit of time(寸阴尺璧)
  • An inch of time is an inch of gold(一寸光阴一寸金)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally a unit of length based on the width of a thumb at the knuckle.
  • Used metaphorically to emphasize smallness or preciousness of things like time and land.
  • Appears in many idioms stressing the value of small increments.

FAQ