考量
kǎoliáng · HSK 7
consider
⚖️🤔 考 examine + 量 measure = weigh the options before deciding
考 means to test or examine; 量 means to measure or gauge an amount. To examine and measure something is to consider it carefully, the deliberate weighing-up sense of 考量.
考 — old 老 (top) + 丂 phonetic
Originally written like 老 ('old'), 考 depicted an elderly person with long hair leaning on a cane, and the two characters were once interchangeable. Over time 考 specialized to mean 'deceased father' and later 'to examine, test, investigate,' with the bottom 丂 hinting at the sound.
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).