寸

• Pinyin: cùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 寸 = pictograph of a hand measuring a small unit of length

Meaning

Inch (Chinese unit); very small amount.

A traditional Chinese unit of length equal to about 3.33 cm. Also used figuratively to mean a very small amount or distance. Common in proverbs like 寸步难行 (can't move an inch) and 寸土必争 (fight for every inch of land).

Examples

1. 一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴。 An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but gold cannot buy back time.
2. 这块地寸土寸金，房价非常贵。 Every inch of this land is worth its weight in gold — housing prices are very expensive.
3. 他身高五尺八寸，在南方算是高个子了。 He's five feet eight inches tall — that's considered tall in the south.

Usage Guide

Context: measurements, proverbs, figurative expressions

Tone: literary

Do Say

• 这里寸土寸金。(Every inch of land here is precious.)
• 寸步不让。(Won't give an inch.)

Don't Say

• 现代口语中直接说'几寸'测量长度比较少见——现在通常用厘米或米 (Saying 几寸 for measurements is rare in modern speech — centimeters or meters are used now)

Origin & History

Pictograph of a hand with a mark indicating a measurement unit, the distance from the wrist pulse point.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal