量 meaning in English

liáng

to measure

HSK 4verb12 strokes

Meaning of 量

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

liáng
  1. to measure
liàng
  1. capacity
  2. quantity
  3. amount
  4. to estimate
  5. abbr. for 量詞|量词[liang4 ci2], classifier (in Chinese grammar)
  6. measure word

How to use 量

As a verb, 量 (liáng) means to measure something physically, like length, weight or temperature. In most compound words it is read liàng and means amount or capacity, as in 数量 (shùliàng) and 重量 (zhòngliàng). Example: 我量一下体温。(Wǒ liáng yíxià tǐwēn.) Let me take my temperature.

Picture 量 as the sun 日 on top of a village 里 (lǐ), with a line 一 between them. Think of a farmer measuring his land from sunrise to sunset, and you have the idea of measuring and amount.

Common mistake: Learners often use the wrong tone. Say liáng when it is a verb meaning to measure, and liàng in nouns like 大量 (dàliàng) and 力量 (lìliàng). Note also that in 商量 (shāngliang) it is neutral tone and means to discuss, not to measure.

量 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ会huì尽jǐn量liàng帮bāng助zhù你nǐ的de。
I'll help you if I can.
这zhè些xiē份fèn量liàng太tài大dà了le
The portions are ginormous.
想xiǎng酒jiǔ量liàng大dà一yī些xiē。
I want to be able to hold my liquor better.
音yīn量liàng调tiáo节jié在zài哪nǎ里lǐ?
Where's the volume control?
我wǒ的de饭fàn量liàng特tè别bié大dà。
My appetite is particularly large.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

量 liáng · to measure · 12 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12

Related words

Words that share a character with 量.

大量dàliànggreat amount; large quantity
商量shāngliangto consult; to talk over
力量lìliàngpower; force; strength
尽量jǐnliàngas much as possible; to the greatest extent
数量shùliàngamount; quantity; quantitative
重量zhòngliàngweight
质量zhìliàng(physics) mass; quality (i.e. degree of excellence)
测量cèliángsurvey; to measure
含量hánliàngcontent; quantity contained
能量néngliàngenergy; capabilities
热量rèliàngheat; quantity of heat
衡量héngliángto weigh; to examine

Questions about 量

What does 量 mean?

量 (liáng) means "to measure" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 量?

量 is made of 1 character: 量 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.

Is 量 an HSK word?

Yes. 量 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What does 量词 mean in Chinese grammar?

量词 (liàngcí) means measure word or classifier. These are words like 个 (gè) or 本 (běn) that go between a number and a noun, as in 三本书 (sān běn shū), three books.

How is 尽量 used in a sentence?

尽量 (jǐnliàng) goes before a verb to mean doing something as much as possible. For example, 我尽量早点来。(Wǒ jǐnliàng zǎo diǎn lái.) means I will try my best to come early.