Chinese Conversation · Level 42
90 words
Chinese word
秤
Pronunciation
Pinyinchèng
Meaning
- nounscale
Example
这台秤坏了，不能用了。zhè tái chèng huài le bù néng yòng le
This scale is broken and can't be used.
More examples
超市里有一台电子秤，顾客用来称水果。chāo shì lǐ yǒu yì tái diàn zi chèng gù kè yòng lái chēng shuí guǒ
There is an electronic scale in the supermarket that customers use to weigh fruit.
Core concept
A weighing instrument that turns a load into a comparison or a readable number.
Common phrases
电子秤diàn zi chèng
electronic scale
体重秤tǐ zhòng chèng
bathroom scale
台秤tái chèng
platform scale
Similar words
体重计tǐ zhòng jì: A scale used to measure a person's body weight, often at home or in a hospital.
电子秤diàn zi chèng: An electronic scale that weighs objects and shows the result as numbers.
天平tiān píng: A balance with two pans for comparing the weights of objects.
Definition in Chinese
一种用来称量重量的工具，既可指市场或家庭用的机械秤，也可指精密的天平或现代电子秤。yì zhǒng yòng lái chēng liáng zhòng liàng de gōng jù jì kě zhǐ shì chǎng huò jiā tíng yòng de jī xiè chèng yě kě zhǐ jīng mì de tiān píng huò xiàn dài diàn zi chèng
Word origin
The character 秤 (chèng, "scale") combines 禾 (hé, "grain") + 平 (píng, "level"); 禾 points to grain as an early object of measurement, and 平 serves mainly as the sound component.
Usage tips
- When the setting matters, everyday Chinese often makes the type of weighing device explicit, especially when discussing a person's body weight.
Other meanings
- bathroom scalenoun
- balancenoun
Related words
- 秤盘chèng pánweighing pannoun
- 秤砣chèng tuóscale weightnoun
- 秤杆chèng gǎnscale beamnoun