尺 (chǐ): a Chinese foot, one-third of a meter, a ruler
尺 (chǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “a chinese foot.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 尸 (structural) and 乚 (structural). It ranks #1465 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 尺 picture of a man measuring by pacing. Its radical form 尸 (corpse) appears in many related characters such as 层 (céng, to pile on top of one another), 尽 (jǐn, to the greatest extent), 屋 (wū, (bound form) house).
Definitions
- a Chinese foot
- one-third of a meter
- a ruler
Etymology & Origin
ideographicPicture of a man measuring by pacing
Decomposition: ⿸尸乚 (layout: surround-from-upper-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 尺 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 尺
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 英尺 | yīng chǐ | foot (unit of length equal to 0.3048 m) |
| 尺码 | chǐ mǎ | size |
| 得寸进尺 | dé cùn jìn chǐ | lit. win an inch, want a foot (idiom) |
| 近在咫尺 | jìn zài zhǐ chǐ | (idiom) very close |
| 公尺 | gōng chǐ | meter (unit of length) |
| 尺度 | chǐ dù | scale |
| 尺骨 | chǐ gǔ | ulna (anatomy) |
| 咫尺 | zhǐ chǐ | (literary) very close |
| 卷尺 | juǎn chǐ | tape measure (usu. retractable) |
| 直尺 | zhí chǐ | straight ruler |
| 标尺 | biāo chǐ | surveyor's rod |
| 计算尺 | jì suàn chǐ | slide rule |
| 百尺竿头 | bǎi chǐ gān tóu | to be at the highest level of enlightenment (Buddhist expression) |
| 比例尺 | bǐ lì chǐ | scale |
| 尺蠖 | chǐ huò | looper caterpillar, larva of moth in family Geometridae |
尺 appears in 64 compound words: 22 as the first character, 59 as the last, and 19 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 尺 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (7)
Example Sentences
这个尺字的意思与它的部首有关。
zhè gě chě zì de yì sī yú tā de bù shǒu yǒu guān .
The meaning of the character "尺" is related to its radical.
日本一码二码三码的穿着建议?选对尺码穿出舒适感
rì běn yī mǎ èr mǎ sān mǎ de chuān zhe jiàn yì ? xuǎn duì chǐ mǎ chuān chū shū shì gǎn
What are the suggestions for wearing a size 1, 2, and 3 in Japan? Choose the right size to wear comfortably
亚洲l码和欧洲m码的区别?买衣服前必看的尺码指南
yà zhōu l mǎ hé ōu zhōu m mǎ de qū bié ? mǎi yī fú qián bì kàn de chǐ mǎ zhǐ nán
What is the difference between Asian L size and European M size? A must-read size guide before buying clothes
亚洲码和欧洲码的尺码单位区别?一文读懂不再买错
yà zhōu mǎ hé ōu zhōu mǎ de chǐ mǎ dān wèi qū bié ? yī wén dòu dǒng bù zài mǎi cuò
What is the difference between Asian and European sizes? Read the article and buy it wrong
嘉义灯会亮点!10公尺高“玛利欧主灯”联名任天堂超吸睛
jiā yì dēng huì liàng diǎn ! 1 0 gōng chǐ gāo 玛 lì ōu zhǔ dēng lián míng rèn tiān táng chāo xī jīng
Highlights of the Chiayi Lantern Festival! The 10-meter-high "Mario Main Light" co-branded Nintendo is super eye-catching
宏福苑|管浩鸣关注收购尺价逾万元点计?黄伟纶:支援少少钱装修
hóng fú 苑 guǎn hào míng guān zhù shōu gòu chǐ jià yú wàn yuán diǎn jì ? huáng wěi 纶 : zhī yuán shǎo shǎo qián zhuāng xiū
Guan Haoming pays attention to the purchase price of more than 10,000 yuan? Huang Weilun: Support a little money for decoration
德国阿尔卑斯山的树线位于海拔约 1800 公尺处。
Déguó ā'ěrbēisī shān de shù xiàn wèiyú hǎibá yuē 1800 gōngchǐ chǔ.
The treeline in the German alps lies at an elevation of about 1800 meters.
你们有提供不同尺寸的咖啡壶吗？
Nǐmen yǒu tígōng bù tóng chǐcun de kāfēihú ma?
Do you offer coffee pots in different sizes?
你有任何比较小的尺寸吗?
Nǐ yǒu rènhé bǐjiào xiǎode chǐcun ma?
Do you have any smaller sizes?
冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。
Bīngdòngsānchǐ, fēiyīrìzhīhán.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 尺 (chǐ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 尺 have?
What is the radical of 尺?
What are the components of 尺?
What are common words containing 尺?
Is 尺 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 尺 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.