顷 qǐng a moment
unit of area
How it came to be
会意 · Meaning + meaning
Two or more parts whose meanings together make the new meaning.
The oldest form shows a head tipped to one side.
用法
- An area unit (100 亩, about 6.7 hectares): 公顷 (gōngqǐng) hectare, the standard land-measure word.
- Also 'a short moment': 顷刻 (qǐngkè) in an instant; 顷刻之间 (qǐngkè zhī jiān) in the blink of an eye.
- So two unrelated jobs: land area (公顷) and a brief instant (顷刻).