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分寸

Mandarin · pinyin fēn cun

propriety
appropriate behavior
proper speech or action
within the norms

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Characters in this entry

分: fēn · divide; small unit of time etc.
寸: cùn · inch; small, tiny; Kangxi radical 41

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–5 · fen1 cun5

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fan1 cyun3

Cantonese word readings for 分寸. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(literally) fen and cun, two ancient Chinese units of length
(figurative) sense of propriety; proper limits (of decorum, speech, behaviour, etc.)

adj

(figurative) small; little; insignificant; negligible

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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