Dictionary › 寸

寸

cùn

Old HSK 6 HSK 3.0 character level 6 Character

寸 (cùn) means "a unit of length; inch; thumb". It is an HSK 3.0 level 6 word, and was HSK 6 in the old six-level list.

What 寸 means

1. a unit of length
2. inch
3. thumb

Example sentences

• 得寸进尺。
  Décùnjìnchǐ.
  Give him an inch and he'll take a yard.
• 我自有分寸。
  I know what I'm doing.
• 他比我高两寸。
  He is two inches taller than I am.
• 他说话很没分寸。
  Tā shuōhuà hěn méifēncùn.
  He has no filter for what he says.
• 我比你高三英寸。
  Wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo sān yīngcùn.
  I'm three inches taller than you.
• 他比我高三英寸。
  Tā bǐ wǒ gāo sān yīngcùn.
  He's three inches taller than I am.

Words starting with 寸

• 寸步难行cùn bù nán xíngunable to move a single step (idiom); to be in an (extremely) difficult situation
• 寸步不离cùn bù bù líto follow sb closely (idiom); to keep close to
• 寸口cùn kǒulocation on wrist over the radial artery where pulse is taken in TCM
• 寸头cùn tóu(male hair style) crew cut; butch cut
• 寸土寸金cùn tǔ cùn jīnland is extremely expensive (in that area) (idiom)
• 寸步不让cùn bù bù ràng(idiom) not to yield an inch
• 寸草不生cùn cǎo bù shēng(idiom) barren; devoid of vegetation
• 寸阴cùn yīna very brief period of time (lit. the time it takes for a shadow to move an inch)
• 寸脉cùn màipulse taken at the wrist (TCM)
• 寸口脉cùn kǒu màipulse taken at the wrist (TCM)
• 寸金难买寸光阴cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīnAn ounce of gold can't buy you an interval of time (idiom); Money can't buy you time.…
• 寸步难移cùn bù nán yísee 寸步难行
• 寸晷cùn guǐsee 寸阴

Words containing 寸

• 分寸fēn cunpropriety; appropriate behavior; proper speech or action
• 尺寸chǐ cunsize; dimensions; measurements (esp. of clothes); (colloquial) propriety
• 英寸yīng cùninch (unit of length equal to 2.54 cm.)
• 方寸fāng cùnsquare cun (Chinese unit of area: 1 cun × 1 cun, or 3⅓ cm × 3⅓ cm); heart; mind
• 手无寸铁shǒu wú cùn tiělit. not an inch of steel (idiom); unarmed and defenseless
• 得寸进尺dé cùn jìn chǐlit. win an inch, want a foot (idiom); fig. not satisfied with small gains…
• 肝肠寸断gān cháng cùn duànlit. liver and guts cut to pieces (idiom); fig. grief-stricken
• 公寸gōng cùndecimeter
• 市寸shì cùncun (Chinese unit of length equal to ⅓ decimeter)
• 板寸bǎn cùnbuzz cut (hairstyle)
• 头寸tóu cùn(finance) cash position; position
• 没分寸méi fēn cùninappropriate; bad-mannered
• 量尺寸liáng chǐ cùnto take sb's measurements
• 方寸大乱fāng cùn dà luàn(idiom) to become agitated; to get worked up
• 方寸已乱fāng cùn yǐ luàn(idiom) confused; troubled; bewildered
• 标准尺寸biāo zhǔn chǐ cùngauge
• 鼠目寸光shǔ mù cùn guāngshort-sighted
• 惜寸阴xī cùn yīnto cherish every moment; to make good use of one's time
• 柔肠寸断róu cháng cùn duànlit. to feel as if one's intestines have been cut short; broken-hearted (idiom)
• 三寸金莲sān cùn jīn lián(historical) bound foot…
• 三寸不烂之舌sān cùn bù làn zhī shéto have a silver tongue; to have the gift of the gab
• 一寸光阴一寸金yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn(saying) time is precious
• 一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn , cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn(lit.) an interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time (saying)…
• 尺有所短，寸有所长chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn , cùn yǒu suǒ chánglit. for some things a foot may be too short, and for the other an inch will suffice…

Characters that look like 寸

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 亏kuīto lose (money); to have a deficit; to be deficient; to treat unfairly

Sounds the same

Read cùn, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 吋inch (English)

Go deeper

• Every HSK 6 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read cùn correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.