称
chēng · HSK 2
call
📣 称 = 禾 (grain) + 尔 (you) — weighing grain, then naming/calling its worth
Originally meant weighing grain on a balance; from there it extended to 'declare the weight,' then 'declare/name/call.' Modern 称 still means both 'to weigh' and 'to call/address.'
称 — grain 禾 + 尔 (phonetic)
称 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the grain radical 禾 on the left points to weighing grain on a balance, while 尔 hints at the sound. It originally meant 'to weigh' on a steelyard, then extended to 'to state the weight of,' and finally to general senses like 'to call,' 'to name,' or 'title.'