毫米

háo mǐ

millimetre

HSK Level 4

Example Sentences

这根钢筋的直径是10毫米。

zhè gēn gāngjīn de zhíjìng shì shí hǎomǐ.

The diameter of this steel bar is 10 millimeters.

水银柱上升了5毫米。

shuǐyín zhù shàngshēng le wǔ hǎomǐ.

The mercury column rose 5 millimeters.

显微镜可以把物体放大1000毫米。

xiǎnwèijìng kěyǐ bǎ wùtǐ fàngdà yīqiān hǎomǐ.

A microscope can magnify an object 1000 millimeters.

Synonyms

公厘 (gōng lǐ)

centimeter

(lí)

millimeter

Antonyms

厘米 (lì mǐ)

centimeter

微米 (wēi mǐ)

micrometer

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 毫米 (hǎomǐ) for "millimeter" is a compound of two characters: 毫 (háo) and 米 (mǐ). 毫 originally meant "fine hair" or "down" and was used to indicate a small quantity or degree. It is also used in the phrase 毫厘 (háolí), which means "a tiny bit" or "a hair's breadth". 米 originally meant "rice" but was also used as a unit of measurement for length, equivalent to about 1/3 of an inch. The character 毫米 was created by combining these two characters to create a new unit of measurement that is one thousandth of a meter.

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