分量
fēn liàng , fèn liang · HSK 7
weight
⚖️ 分 (divide) + 量 (measure) = the divided measure, a portion's weight
When you split something into parts, each part has its own weight or measure. That's 分量 — how much a portion counts. Used for literal weight and for figurative significance.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.
量 — top 旦 (sunrise) + bottom 里 (village/measure)
Originally a pictograph of a funnel or measuring vessel used to gauge grain. The form evolved to suggest weighing at sunrise (旦) over a measured area (里). It split into two readings: liáng 'to measure' (the action) and liàng 'quantity' (the result).