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充其量 (chōng qí liàng) — at most, at best

Definition

Used to downplay a quantity or quality — 'at most' or 'at best', signaling that even the best case is still limited. Often followed by 也/只是 to highlight a low ceiling.

adverb
at mostat best

Examples

  • 充其量。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù chōng qí liàng xū yào sān gè yuè wán chéng.
    This project will take at most three months to complete.
  • 充其量。
    Tā de yīng yǔ shuǐ píng chōng qí liàng zhǐ shì chū jí.
    His English level is at best just beginner.
  • 充其量。
    Zhè xiē shuǐ guǒ chōng qí liàng néng bǎo cún liǎng tiān.
    These fruits can be kept for at most two days.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

充chōngfill
其量its capacity
其qíits量liángcapacity
偏正Modifier + head

充 means 'fill', 其 means 'its', and 量 means 'capacity'; together they suggest filling its full capacity, i.e. at most.

Characters in this word

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

  • 𠫓𠫓𠫓a newborn
  • 儿儿érstanding person

充 pairs 𠫓, a newborn, with 儿, a standing person, to picture a newborn growing to stand.

Open 充 →

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

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

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
Quantity & Amount

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