衡量
héngliáng · HSK 6
to weigh; to examine
⚖️ 衡 = balance beam + 量 = quantity: weigh the quantity
衡 originally meant a horizontal crossbar on a scale. Combined with 量 (amount), it gives you the act of weighing or measuring something — and by extension, judging its worth or significance.
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).