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数量 (shù liàng) — amount; quantity

Definition

数量 is the most common word for 'quantity/amount' in everyday contexts (stock, goods, data). Use 量 when emphasizing capacity or volume; 数目 is more formal and leans toward a countable number.

noun
amountquantity
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 数量。
    Zuó tiān de shù liàng bǐ jīn tiān de duō.
    Yesterday's quantity is more than today's.
  • 数量，。
    Zhè ge shāng diàn de shù liàng hěn dà, dōng xī yě hěn duō.
    This store has a large quantity and also many items.
  • 数量。
    Wǒ men xū yào zhī dào zhǔn què de shù liàng.
    We need to know the exact quantity.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

数shùnumber
量liángamount

数 means number and 量 means amount; together they refer to quantity.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu數shù(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Open 数 →

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.

Open 量 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Quantity & Amount5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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