厘米

• Pinyin: lí mǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 厘 = 厂 (cliff/shelter) + 里 (inside, phonetic) — a tiny subdivision; 米 = pictograph of rice grains, later borrowed for metre

Meaning

Centimetre. The standard metric unit of length equal to one hundredth of a metre.

The standard measure word for centimetres in Chinese. Used in everyday measurements such as height, width, and length. In casual speech, people often drop 厘米 and just say the number with context. For very precise measurements (science, tailoring), 厘米 is always stated explicitly.

Examples

1. 这张桌子的宽度是八十厘米。 This table is eighty centimetres wide.
2. 他比去年长高了三厘米。 He has grown three centimetres taller since last year.
3. 请把这根绳子剪成五十厘米长。 Please cut this rope to fifty centimetres long.

Usage Guide

Context: measurement, shopping, science, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这块布有一百二十厘米宽。(This piece of fabric is 120 centimetres wide.)
• 宝宝这个月长了两厘米。(The baby grew two centimetres this month.)

Don't Say

• 从北京到上海有多少厘米 (Don't use 厘米 for long distances — use 公里 or 千米 for kilometres)

Origin & History

A modern loanword compound: 厘 (a tiny unit, one-hundredth) + 米 (metre, from the French mètre). Together they form the Chinese rendering of centimetre.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal