比例
ひれい · hirei · JLPT N1 · noun
proportion
比 (bǐ, compare) + 例 (lì, example): a ratio you can compare, like a scale model
比例 = 比 (compare) + 例 (example, instance). A proportion is a comparison of two quantities kept at the same scale, like a scale model of a building.
比 — two 匕 (person) side by side
比 is a pictograph showing two people standing side by side, facing the same direction. From this image of paired figures came the core meaning 'to compare' or 'to be next to,' since comparing things naturally involves placing them alongside each other.