相当于
xiāngdāngyū · HSK 7
equivalent
⚖️ 相当于 = 相当 (equivalent) + 于 (to) — so amounts to, is equal to
相当 means corresponding or matching in degree, and 于 marks the target, like to or at. Together 相当于 sets one thing equal to another: A 相当于 B means A amounts to or is the equivalent of B.
当 — small ⺌ + crown 冖 + hand 彐 (simplified from 當: 尚 + 田)
Originally written 當, combining 田 'field' with 尚 as a phonetic. The early sense was 'to match' or 'face' a field of equal value, extended to 'correspond to', 'ought to', and 'serve as'. The simplified form 当 streamlines the upper 尚 component.
于 — two horizontal strokes 二 + vertical hook 亅
于 originated as a pictograph of breath or sound flowing outward, depicting exhalation through a passage. In oracle bone script it resembled a curved line showing motion or extension. Over time it became a grammatical preposition meaning 'at,' 'in,' or 'to,' losing its original concrete sense.