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衡量 (héng liáng) — to weigh, to evaluate, to consider (carefully assessing factors or qualities)

Definition

衡量 means to weigh or evaluate factors before deciding. More formal and abstract than 称 (literal weighing), and broader than 考核 (systematic performance assessment).

verb
to weighto evaluateto consider (carefully assessing factors or qualities)

Examples

  • 衡量。
    Wǒ men xū yào héng liáng yí xià zhè ge jì huà de yōu quē diǎn.
    We need to weigh the pros and cons of this plan.
  • 衡量。
    Gōng sī yòng yè jì lái héng liáng yuán gōng de biǎo xiàn.
    The company uses performance to evaluate employees.
  • ，衡量。
    Zài zuò jué dìng zhī qián, nǐ yào héng liáng suǒ yǒu kě néng de jié guǒ.
    Before making a decision, you need to consider all possible outcomes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

衡héngweigh
量liángmeasure

衡 and 量 both mean measuring or weighing, giving careful assessment.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
角角jiǎohorn
大大dàbig
Sound part声符shēngfú
行
行xíng衡héng
Same sound today

衡 uses 行 to hint at its sound, and includes 角 (horn) and 大 (big) as meaning parts.

Open 衡 →

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 6Thinking & Cognition

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