饭量 (fàn liáng) — appetite | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

appetite

Examples

饭量，。
Wǒ de fàn liáng bú dà, chī yì wǎn jiù bǎo le.
My appetite isn't big — I'm full after one bowl.
饭量，。
Tā fàn liáng jīng rén, yí dùn néng chī wǔ gè mán tou.
His appetite is astonishing; he can eat five steamed buns in one meal.
饭量。
Shēng bìng qī jiān tā de fàn liáng biàn xiǎo le.
Her appetite decreased during her illness.

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.

量liángamount

饭量 pairs food with amount, meaning the capacity or appetite for food.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飯; 饭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shífood

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

反fǎn飯fàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 飯 combines 食 (food) with 反 for the sound; the simplified 饭 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical form.

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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