质量
zhíliàng · HSK 4
mass
⚖️ 质 (substance) + 量 (measure) = mass / quality
质 means substance or essence; 量 means to measure or quantity. Together they name the measurable substance of a thing — its mass in physics, or its quality in everyday talk.
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).