量 (liáng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

量

liáng[liang2]Tone 2

to measure

HSK 2

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to measure

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (日 or a flattened variant) sits neatly centered above the lower component 里. Ensure vertical alignment is strictly maintained.

1. Meaning

to measure, to estimate

quantity, amountcapacity, tolerance

Verb / NounNeutral#measurement#actions#abstract qualities

Sample Usage

请帮我量一下身高。
Qǐng bāng wǒ liáng yīxià shēogāo.
Please help me measure my height.
量力而行
liàng lì ér xíng
act according to one's capability

2. Sound

/[li̯aŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35

量

liángliang2

´(35)

=liáng

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: English l sound

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind upper front teeth while air flows out laterally.

Final Rhyme

iang

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with -ang with an i- glide

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yahng'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a surprised question in English: 'What?' or 'Really?'

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, it shifts to a high rising contour or smooth transition depending on speech tempo.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse Tone 2 (liáng) with Tone 4 (liàng, meaning amount/capacity). Ensure the pitch goes up clearly.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Hand moves up and out from lower-left to upper-right, mirroring a rising question pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (日 or a flattened variant) sits neatly centered above the lower component 里. Ensure vertical alignment is strictly maintained.

4. Components

Radical 里 · Village / Mile Radical (Village, inside, unit of distance)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 里 (Provides the foundational base and historical sound/meaning context)

The character combines a sun/eye shape over a boundary/field structure, historically representing examining or checking fields.

日 Sun or eye component at the top
里 Village or inside component at the bottom

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

14· Phonetic Root: 旦 (dàn)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted tools or actions related to surveying land and checking dimensions.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from physical land surveying and checking boundaries to general measurement and abstract quantities.

In ancient China, land surveying was crucial for taxation and agricultural management.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: リョウ (ryō) / Kun: はかる (hakaru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

양

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use the sun (日) shining over the village (里) to carefully *measure* the length of the fields.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

粮

liángprovisions, grainAdd the rice radical (米) on the left for grain provisions.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

两(liǎng)

两 means 'two' or 'both' and has a different inner structure with two small elements.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我去商店买衣服前，先在家[___]了一下尺寸。

Clue: liáng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the verb liáng (to measure, Tone 2) with the noun liàng (capacity/amount, Tone 4).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 量 meaning 'to measure', what is its Pinyin tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to measure' (liáng)?

量liángto measure

Speed:

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