斤
jīn · HSK 2
weight equal to 500 g
⚖️ jin = old Chinese unit of weight, ~500g; classifier for weighed goods
斤 originally depicted an axe-head; it became the standard weight unit (one jin ≈ 500g) and now serves as the measure word for items sold by weight, like meat or fruit at a market.
斤 — axe pictograph 斤
斤 is a pictograph of an ancient axe or adze, with the curved top showing the blade and the lower stroke the handle. From 'axe' it came to mean the chopping it does, and was later borrowed as a unit of weight (catty, ~500g), its modern everyday sense.