量
liáng , liàng · HSK 4
quantity
⚖️ 量 = 日 (sun/day) over 里 (li, a distance unit) — measuring by day-length
Two readings: liáng (verb, to measure) and liàng (noun, quantity/capacity). The 里 component is an old length unit, reinforcing the measurement sense. Common in 测量 cèliáng (to survey) and 数量 shùliàng (quantity).
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).