咫 meaning and stroke order
Unit of length used during the Zhou dynasty
How to write 咫, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 咫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- 8 in. length unit of Zhou dynasty
How 咫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ruler.
尺 gives the meaning and 只 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 咫
咫 is a ruler 尺 (chǐ) wrapped around 只 (zhǐ). The ruler tells you it is a length, and 只 gives the sound zhǐ, so think of it as a short ruler unit.
Today 咫 almost only appears in the idiom 近在咫尺 (jìnzàizhǐchǐ), meaning something is very close. Example: 成功近在咫尺。(Chénggōng jìn zài zhǐchǐ.) Success is close at hand.
Common mistake: Learners often write 咫 as 只 plus 尺 side by side. In fact the long sweeping stroke of 尺 stretches under 只, which sits tucked inside. Also keep the third tone: zhǐ, not zhī.
Common words with 咫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 近在咫尺 | jìnzàizhǐchǐ | (idiom) very close; almost within reach; close at hand |
Questions about 咫
How many strokes are in 咫?
咫 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 咫 mean?
咫 (zhǐ) means unit of length used during the Zhou dynasty. A common word with it is 近在咫尺 (jìnzàizhǐchǐ), meaning "(idiom) very close; almost within reach; close at hand".
How do you pronounce 咫?
咫 is pronounced zhǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 咫?
The radical of 咫 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 咫 under this radical.
Can I use 咫 on its own to mean a short distance?
Not in normal modern Chinese. It survives almost entirely in 咫尺 and the idiom 近在咫尺, often in written or literary style.
What does 咫尺 mean by itself?
咫尺 (zhǐchǐ) means a very short distance. 咫 and 尺 were both old units of length, so together they describe something only a few inches away.