寸: inch

寸 cùn

measure word | radical
: to pay; to hand over to

Kun Reading
none applicable

寸口 cun4kou3: location on wrist over the radial artery where pulse is taken in TCM

寸口脈[脉] cun4kou3 mai4: pulse taken at the wrist (TCM)

寸脈[脉] cun4mai4: pulse taken at the wrist (TCM)

寸陰[阴] cun4yin1: a very brief period of time (lit. the time it takes for a shadow to move an inch)

公寸 gong1cun4: decimeter

方寸 fang1cun4: square cun (Chinese unit of area: 1 cun × 1 cun, or 3⅓ cm × 3⅓ cm); heart; mind
[ほうすん housun: a square sun (i.e. approx 9sq. cm.)
: one’s mind; space occupied by one’s heart]

英寸 ying1cun4: inch (unit of length equal to 2.54 cm.)

頭[头]寸 tou2cun4: money market

沒[没]分寸 mei2 fen1cun4: inappropriate; bad-mannered

Japanese common word | expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiom
寸々 | ずたずた zudazuda
: to pieces; into shreds

寸秒 | すんびょう sunbyou: a moment

寸借詐欺 | すんしゃくさぎ sunsha kusagi
: (yoji) petty swindling; petty swindler

寸進尺退 | すんしんしゃくたい sunshin shakutai
: (yoji) one step forward, many steps backward; little to gain and much to lose

寸善尺魔 | すんぜんしゃくま sunzen shakuma
: (yoji) in evil, there is odds; there is more evil than good in this world; one good thing tends to cause many bad things to happen

舌先三寸 | したさきさんずん shitasaki sanzun
: (yoji) eloquence or flattery designed to deceive

一寸先は闇 | いっすんさきはやみ issun saki wa yami
: No one knows what the future holds; The future is a closed book

寸鉄人を殺す | すんてつひとをころす suntetsu hito o korosu
: to make a cutting remark; to kill someone with a short blade

寸分たがわず OR 寸分違わず | すんぶんたがわず sunbunta ga wazu
: accurate; to the inch; exact

寸でのところで | すんでのところで sunde no tokorode
: almost; very nearly

一寸の虫にも五分の魂 | いっすんのむしにもごぶのたましい issun no mushi ni mo gobu no tamashii
: tread on a worm and it will turn. Even a tiny bug will defend itself. Even the weakest and smallest beings have their own wills, so do not make light of them

Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom | proverb
得寸進尺 [得寸进尺] de2 cun4 jin4 chi3
: lit. win an inch, want a foot; fig. not satisfied with small gains; give him an inch, and he’ll want a mile

手無寸鐵 [手无寸铁] shou3 wu2 cun4 tie3
: lit. not an inch of steel; unarmed and defenseless

柔腸寸斷 rou2 chang2 cun4 duan4
: lit. to feel as if one’s intestines have been cut short; broken-hearted

寸土寸金 cun4 tu3 cun4 jin1
: land is extremely expensive (in that area)

寸草不生 cun4 cao3 bu4 sheng1
: lit. not even a blade of grass grows; fig. barren

三寸不爛之舌 [三寸不烂之舌] san1 cun4 bu4 lan4 zhi1 she2
: to have a silver tongue; to have the gift of the gab

寸金難買寸光陰 [寸金难买寸光阴] cun4 jin1 nan2 mai3 cun4 guang1 yin1
: An ounce of gold can’t buy you an interval of time. Money can’t buy you time. Time is precious.

一寸光陰一寸金 [一寸光阴一寸金] yi1 cun4 guang1 yin1 yi1 cun4 jin1
: lit. An interval of time is worth an ounce of gold. fig. free time is to be treasured
OR
一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰 [一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴] yi1 cun4 guang1 yin1 yi1 cun4 jin1 , cun4 jin1 nan2 mai3 cun4 guang1 yin1
: lit. An interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time. fig. Time is precious and must be treasured.

尺有所短，寸有所長 [尺有所短，寸有所长] chi3 you3 suo3 duan3 , cun4 you3 suo3 chang2
: lit. for some things a foot may be too short, and for the other an inch will suffice (proverb). fig. everyone has their strong and weak points; everything has its advantages and disadvantages