TongTong
Sign in

比重 (bǐ zhòng) — proportion, percentage (of a part in a whole); specific gravity (physics, density relative to water)

Definition

比重 is 'proportion / share' of a part within a whole (e.g., in economics or statistics). 比例 is ratio between two quantities; 百分比 is the same idea expressed as a percent.

noun
proportionpercentage (of a part in a whole)specific gravity (physics, density relative to water)

Examples

  • 比重。
    Nóng yè de bǐ zhòng zài zhú jiàn jiǎn shǎo.
    The proportion of agriculture is gradually decreasing.
  • ，比重1。
    Zài wù lǐ xué zhōng, shuǐ de bǐ zhòng shì 1.
    In physics, the specific gravity of water is 1.
  • 比重50%。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī chū kǒu chǎn pǐn de bǐ zhòng yǐ jīng chāo guò 50%.
    The proportion of exported products from this company has already exceeded 50%.

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.

比bǐratio or comparison
重zhòngweight

比 gives the idea of ratio or comparison, 重 gives weight; together they mean the weight ratio of a part to a whole.

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.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.