流量
liú liàng · HSK 7
flow rate
💧📊 流 flow + 量 quantity = amount flowing: flow rate, or data/site traffic
流 (liú) means to flow and 量 (liàng) means quantity or amount. Together they name how much is flowing past: water flow rate, network throughput, or how much traffic a website gets.
流 — water radical 氵 + 㐬 (phonetic, child being born)
流 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, while 㐬 depicts an infant being born head-down with amniotic fluid, suggesting downward flow. Together they convey water flowing, and by extension 'to flow' or 'current'.
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).