增量 (zēng liàng) — increment (increase in quantity or value) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

increment (increase in quantity or value)

Examples

增量。
Zhè ge yuè de xiāo liàng zēng liàng hěn dà.
This month's sales increment is very large.
增量。
Wǒ men xū yào jì suàn měi gè yuè de zēng liàng.
We need to calculate the increment for each month.
增量。
Zhè ge jì dù de jīng jì zēng liàng chāo guò le yù qī.
This quarter's economic increment exceeded expectations.

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.

增zēngincrease

量liángamount

增 gives the idea of increase and 量 gives amount, so the whole means an amount of increase.

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.

土曾增

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

曾

曾céng增zēng

Same sound today

增 uses 土 (earth) to show that things grow in earth or are built from earth, and uses 曾 for the sound. This gives the sense of adding or increasing.

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.

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