衡 héng to measure
to measure; to weigh
怎么记住“衡”: 彳 crossroads + ⺈ knife top + 田 field + 大 big + 亍 footstep = to measure. At the crossroads the farmer hangs his knife on the field fence by the knife top and walks one big footstep after another to measure it.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
衡 = 彳 crossroads + 𩵋 fish + 亍 footstep
- 彳 crossroads sound
- 𩵋 fish meaning
- ⺈ knife top
- 田 field
- 大 big
- 亍 footstep sound
At the crossroads the farmer hangs his knife on the field fence by the knife top and walks one big footstep after another to measure it.
How it came to be
The small seal form sets a horn above the sign for big inside the crossroads, which gives the sound.
用法
- Bound morpheme for weighing/balancing, rarely standing alone. Core word 平衡 (pínghéng) balance: 保持平衡 (bǎochí pínghéng) keep one's balance.
- 衡量 (héngliáng) = to weigh up/gauge, used figuratively: 衡量利弊 (héngliáng lì-bì) weigh pros and cons.
- 权衡 (quánhéng) is weighing options before a decision; 抗衡 (kànghéng) is to contend on equal footing against a rival.