小量 (xiǎo liàng) — a small amount; a little; a speck | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

a small amounta littlea speck

Examples

小量。
Wǒ zhī jiā le xiǎo liàng táng.
I only added a little sugar.
小量。
Shí yàn zhōng zhī xū yào xiǎo liàng cái liào.
The experiment only needs a small amount of material.
小量。
Tā zhī xū yào xiǎo liàng shí jiān jiù néng wán chéng.
He only needs a little time to finish.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

量liángamount

“小” describes a small size, and “量” is an amount, giving a little or a speck.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

八八bāto divide; to separate
丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

日日rìsun
東東dōngbag; east

量 has 日 (sun) over 東 (bag; east). Some explanations suggest measuring under the sun or the sun rising in the east, but the exact origin is unclear.

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