水量 (shuǐ liàng) — water volume, amount of water; (colloquial) swimming ability, swimming skill

Definition

Usually 'amount/volume of water' (rivers, reservoirs, supply). In casual speech it can also mean someone's swimming ability — short for 水量好. Context (大/小 vs 好/差) makes the sense clear.

noun
water volumeamount of water(colloquial) swimming abilityswimming skill

Examples

  • 水量，。
    Zhè tiáo hé de shuǐ liàng hěn dà, xià tiān róng yì fā hóng shuǐ.
    This river has a very large water volume; it easily floods in summer.
  • 水量，。
    Tā shuǐ liàng hěn hǎo, néng zài shuǐ lǐ dài hěn jiǔ.
    His swimming ability is very good; he can stay in the water for a long time.
  • 水量。
    Wǒ men xū yào jiān cè shuǐ kù de shuǐ liàng biàn huà.
    We need to monitor the water volume changes of the reservoir.

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.

水shuǐwater
量liángamount

水 is water and 量 is an amount, together the amount of water.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.