寸 cùn inch
inch; tiny
How it came to be
A hand with a mark at the wrist, where a doctor feels the pulse, about an inch up the arm. It measures, and it measures with a hand.
How it is used
- The traditional 'inch' (~3.3 cm) and, figuratively, something tiny - 尺寸 (chǐcùn) dimensions/measurements, 一寸照片 (yí cùn zhàopiàn) a one-inch photo.
- 分寸 (fēncun) = a sense of proper limits/measure: 说话有分寸 (shuōhuà yǒu fēncun) speak with appropriate restraint.
- 寸步难行 (cùnbù-nánxíng) = unable to move an inch.