Skip to main content

斤: a catty; an axe; keen

By May 15, 2015January 28th, 2021Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning

 

斤 jīn

radical 69 | measure word
: a catty (approximately 500 g)
: an axe
: keen, shrewd

Kun Reading
none applicable

On Reading

斤 | きん kin


: (Archaism) unit of weight ~600g;
: (Archaism) pound (unit of mass: 453.6g);
: loaf (of bread)

 Usage:

斤[两]兩 jin1liang3: weight; (fig) importance
斤斤計較 [斤斤计较] jin1jin1 ji4jiao4: to haggle over every ounce; fig. to worry unduly over minor matters
公斤 gong1jin1: kilogram (kg)

半公斤 ban4 gong1jin1: half kilo

台斤 tai2jin1: Taiwan catty (weight equal to 0.6 kg)



Japanese common word
斤目 | きんめ kinme: weight

斤量 | きんりょう kinryou: weight

一斤 | いっきん ikkin
: 1 kin (~0.6kg)
: 1 loaf of bread

一斤染 | いっこんぞめ ikkonzome OR いっきんぞめ ikkinzome
: light pink; pale pink



Chinese expression | idiom
半斤八兩 [半斤八两] ban4 jin1 ba1 liang3
: not much to choose between the two; tweedledum and tweedledee

斤斤較量 [较量较量] jin1 jin1 jiao4liang4
: to bicker at length over a trivial matter

秤砣雖小壓千斤 [秤砣虽小压千斤] cheng4 tuo2 sui1 xiao3 ya1 qian1 jin1
: although small, a steelyard weight may tip a hundred pounds; apparently insignificant details can have a large impact; for want of a nail the battle was lost

 Etymology:


象形 Pictographic.
Picture of an ax.



Semantic / Historical Variant:
觔 jin1: catty



“Axe” radical #69



 Look-alike:
chi4: to scold, upbraid, accuse, reproach
[kun: しりぞく shirizoku; しりぞける shirizokeru. on: セキ seki]



 Examples:
這蘋果多少錢一公斤?
zhe4 ping2guo3 duo1 shao3 qian2 yi1 gong1jin1
How much are these apples for a kilo?

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary