尺
- a unit of length (“척”);
- a ruler or measuring stick;
Originally representing the span of a foot or forearm, later standardized as the Chinese foot, a basic unit of measurement in ancient East Asia.
Etymology
Pictographic in origin — an ideogram symbolizing a foot or the act of measuring by foot-length.
The earliest forms in bronze and seal script depict a foot with an extended heel, suggesting a human step or the mark of a measure.
In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), Xu Shen defines:
「尺，十寸也。从尸从丶，象人之尺然。」
“尺 is ten cun (inches); composed of 尸 and a dot, symbolizing the length of a man’s foot.”
Thus, 尺 represents the standard of length, defined in classical Chinese metrology as one-tenth of a zhang (丈).
Usage in Korean
尺 (자) — ruler, measure, foot
尺寸 (척촌) — length; small dimension; measure
尺骨 (척골) — ulna (forearm bone)
尺度 (척도) — scale, measure, standard
方尺 (방척) — square foot; unit area measure
尺素 (척소) — letter, correspondence (originally “measured silk sheet”)
天尺 (천척) — divine measure; heavenly scale
寸尺 (촌척) — small measure; very short distance
In metrical use, 1 尺 = 10 寸 (촌). The exact length varied historically:
Zhou Dynasty: approximately 19.9 cm
Han Dynasty: approximately 23.1 cm
Tang Dynasty: approximately 30.3 cm
Korean traditional 척: about 30.3 cm (similar to the Tang standard)
Words that derived from 尺
Additional notes
As a measure of length, 尺 came to symbolize proportion, restraint, and standardization in moral and political thought.
The Han Feizi (韓非子·有度篇) states:
「有度者不悖於尺。」
“He who possesses measure does not err against the standard.”
In Confucian metaphor, 尺 is also linked to moral measurement — 度量衡 (도량형) being both physical and ethical “standards.”
From the pictographic basis of “foot-length,” the character gained wide semantic extension:
Physical measurement (尺) - moral or institutional measure (尺度)
Literal tool (ruler) - figurative norm (standard, moderation).
In script evolution, 尺 appears as a component in many characters, often abstracted into a vertical form:
昼 (晝, 낮 주) — simplified with 尺 replacing early forms.
尽 (盡, 다할 진) — incorporates 尺 in structural simplification.
迟 (simplified 遲, 늦을 지) — 尺 replaces the complex radical structure.
In modern contexts, 尺 remains the root of all East Asian foot-based units and retains its symbolic meaning of precision and measure.
Colloquially, the character has even been humorously used as a stylized substitute for the Latin letter R, due to their similar shape.
Thus, 尺 embodies both the tangible measure of distance and the intangible measure of propriety — the standard by which space, conduct, and proportion are defined.
