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酒量 (jiǔ liàng) — capacity for liquor; alcohol tolerance

Definition

noun
capacity for liquoralcohol tolerance

Examples

  • 酒量，。
    Tā jiǔ liàng hěn dà, hē yì píng bái jiǔ dōu méi wèn tí.
    He has a high alcohol tolerance; even a whole bottle of baijiu is fine.
  • 酒量，。
    Wǒ jiǔ liàng bú tài hǎo, hē liǎng bēi pí jiǔ jiù zuì le.
    My alcohol tolerance isn't great; two glasses of beer and I'm drunk.
  • 酒量？
    Duō hē jiǔ néng tí gāo jiǔ liàng ma?
    Can drinking more increase your alcohol tolerance?

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.

酒jiǔliquor
量liángcapacity

酒, liquor, and 量, capacity, together mean how much alcohol one can take.

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu酒jiǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →

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
Alcohol & Tobacco

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