尺
Chinese foot, ruler
At a glance · 尺
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
尺字小篆从尸从乙（或丶），为指事字；本义为长度单位尺，以手度肘之长为尺。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
尺本义为长度单位尺。
Structure
尺为指事字，从尸（人）加标记，指示手下一寸至肘的长度。
At a glance
Pinyinchǐ
Radical尸
Strokes4
UnicodeU+5C3A
Character type指事
Theme数术
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
Chinese foot, ruler
Chi is an ideograph marking the ancient Chinese foot measure.
Français
pied chinois, règle
Chi est un caractère indicatif marquant l'unité de longueur pied chinois.
Español
pie chino, regla
Chi es un carácter indicativo que marca la unidad de longitud pie chino.
العربية
قدم صيني، مسطرة
تشي حرف دال على وحدة الطول الصينية القدم.
Русский
китайский фут, линейка
Чи — указательный знак, обозначающий китайскую меру длины «фут».
Common words
- 尺子chǐ ziruler
- 尺寸chǐ cùnsize