雅量 (yǎ liàng) — (formal) magnanimity, generous spirit, forbearance; (archaic) great capacity for drinking alcohol

Definition

A formal, literary noun for a generous, magnanimous spirit — tolerating criticism or insults without resentment. The secondary sense refers to a great capacity for drinking alcohol, now rarely used.

noun
(formal) magnanimitygenerous spiritforbearance(archaic) great capacity for drinking alcohol

Examples

  • ，雅量，。
    Tā wèi rén kuān hòu, hěn yǒu yǎ liàng, cóng bú jì jiào xiǎo shì.
    He is generous and magnanimous, never fussing over small matters.
  • ，雅量。
    Miàn duì pī píng, tā zhǎn xiàn le fēi fán de yǎ liàng.
    In the face of criticism, she showed extraordinary magnanimity.
  • 雅量，。
    Gǔ dài wén rén cháng yǐ yǎ liàng zì xǔ, néng yǐn shù dòu ér bú zuì.
    Ancient literati often prided themselves on their capacity for liquor, able to drink several dou without getting drunk.

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.

雅yǎrefined
量liángcapacity

雅 (refined) and 量 (capacity) combine to mean a generous, refined capacity.

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
隹隹zhuīa short-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
牙
牙yá雅yǎ
Same sound today

雅 pairs 隹, a short-tailed bird, with 牙 as its sound part; the bird was a rook/crow, and the sense was extended to refined.

Open 雅 →

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 →

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