(yīng chǐ) - foot (unit of length) in Mandarin
yīngchǐTraditional: 英尺
Translation
foot (unit of length)
Word origin
A compound of 英 (yīng, British, from 英国) and 尺 (chǐ, the traditional Chinese foot), coined to mark the imperial unit off from the Chinese one.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 英 (yīng, British) + 尺 (chǐ, Chinese foot)
Stroke order
英
尺
Examples
。
This boat is twenty feet long.
。
He is six feet tall.
寸。
One foot equals twelve inches.
深。
The water is only three feet deep.
。
Please convert the length into feet.
英尺 (yīng chǐ) is the imperial foot. It goes straight after the number with no extra measure word: 六英尺, not 六个英尺.
The 英 prefix is doing real work. A bare 尺 is the Chinese foot, a different length entirely, so dropping the 英 changes the measurement rather than merely shortening the word. The same prefix marks 英里 (yīng lǐ, mile) off from 里 (lǐ, the Chinese li) and 英寸 (yīng cùn, inch) off from 寸 (cùn).
The trap for a British or American speaker is habit. Mainland China is metric in everyday life, so heights and distances come in 米 (mǐ, metres) and 公里 (gōng lǐ, kilometres). 英尺 mostly shows up in translated material, aviation, and anything to do with the United States, so use it when the source is imperial, not by default.
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英尺: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "英尺" (foot (unit of length)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 49.