两侧
liǎng cè · HSK 6
two sides
↔️ liǎng = two, cè = side — literally two sides
两 (liǎng) means two or both. 侧 (cè) means side or flank. Together they describe both sides of something, like both sides of a road or a debate.
两 — two halves under 一, mirrored 入 components inside 冂
两 originally depicted a balance scale or a pair of matched objects, symbolizing duality and equality. The two inner components represent the two equal sides being weighed or paired. Over time it came to mean 'two' (especially for paired things) and also a traditional unit of weight (tael).
侧 — person 亻 + 則 (rule/standard)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 亻 (person) gives the meaning — originally a person leaning or standing to one side — while 則 supplies the sound. Over time it broadened from 'lean sideways' to the general sense of 'side' or 'flank.'