兩

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

兩 (Kangxi radical 11, 入+6, 8 strokes, cangjie input 一中月人 (MLBO), four-corner 1022₇, composition ⿻帀𠓜)

Derived characters

• 倆, 啢, 掚, 緉, 脼, 蜽, 裲, 輛, 魎, 㔝, 䓣, 䠃, 䩫, 𣍷, 𭝏, 𣓈, 𣼣, 𥇑, 𨨄, 𩗾, 𦑅, 𠬙, 𢎏, 𰂑, 𥮩, 𧶪, 𩀝, 𩭫, 𩳮

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 126, character 13
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1436
• Dae Jaweon: page 272, character 11
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 24, character 2
• Unihan data for U+5169

• Unihan data for U+F978

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 兩
Bronze inscriptions b11978 b11979 b11980 b11981 b11982 b11983 b11984 b11985 b11986 b11987 b11988 b11989 b11990 b11991 b11992 Small seal script s05489 Transcribed ancient scripts L35075 L35076
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

According to Shuowen Jiezi an ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 一 + 㒳. Baxter (1992) observes that, in historical forms, the character is two 丙 (OC *praŋʔ) joined together; this would make 丙 the phonetic component in a sort of phono-ideogrammic compound (see also Baxter & Sagart (2014)).

Etymology

Unknown. Schuessler (2007) proposes two possible etymologies:

• Borrowing from Kra-Dai; compare Proto-Tai *rawᴬ (“we”) > Thai เรา (rao, “we”), Zhuang raeuz (“we (inclusive)”); Proto-Kam-Sui *hra¹ (“two”) > Southern Kam yac (“two”), Sui xgaz (“two”).
• Cognate with Tibetan སྲང (srang, “balance; scale; weight; unit of weight”).

Derivative: 輛 (OC *raŋs, “chariot”) (literally “that which is paired”, i.e. “a set of wheels”).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

兩

1. two

   兩隻熱氣球／两只热气球  ―  liǎng zhī rèqìqiú  ―  two hot air balloons

2. two (used in radio communications in aviation and by the military)
3. some; few

   你們這兩天真夠辛苦的。 [MSC, trad.]
   你们这两天真够辛苦的。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐmen zhè liǎng tiān zhēn gòu xīnkǔ de.

   You've really been working hard the past few days.

4. different; distinct

   兩樣／两样  ―  liǎngyàng  ―  difference

   我們說的是兩回事。 [MSC, trad.]
   我们说的是两回事。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen shuō de shì liǎng huí shì.

   We are talking about different things.

5. a surname

Usage notes

• In Standard Mandarin, 兩／两 (liǎng) is used when counting things with a measure word, 二 (èr) is used in numbers.
  • Examples with 兩／两 (liǎng)

    兩個人／两个人  ―  liǎng ge rén  ―  two people

    兩年／两年  ―  liǎng nián  ―  two years

    兩百／两百  ―  liǎng bǎi  ―  two hundred

    兩千／两千  ―  liǎng qiān  ―  two thousand

  • Examples with 二 (èr)

    二十  ―  èrshí  ―  twenty (literally, “two tens”)

    二百  ―  èr bǎi  ―  two hundred

    第二  ―  dì'èr  ―  second

    But not *二個人

Synonyms

• 二 (èr, “two”)

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 兩 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 銀兩 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 両 (Cantonese)
• 銀兩 (Cantonese)

Definitions

兩

1. tael (a traditional unit of weight)
   1. (Mainland China) Short for 市兩／市两 (shìliǎng, “market tael, equal to 1/10 of a catty or 50 grams”).
   2. (Hong Kong) equal to 1/16 of a catty or 37.7994 grams
   3. (Taiwan) Short for 臺兩／台两 (“Taiwanese tael, equal to 1/16 of a catty or 37.5 grams”).
   4. (historical) metal currency unit used in China and Japan
2. Short for 公兩／公两 (gōngliǎng, “hectogram”).

Usage notes

• In older literature, using 両 for "tael" and 兩／两 for "two" can be seen.
• The variant form 𭃂 is commonly found in shop signs displaying prices.

Compounds

Pronunciation 3

Definitions

兩

1. Original form of 輛／辆 (liàng).

   • 之子于歸，百兩御之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     之子于归，百两御之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zhīzǐ yúguī, bǎi liàng yù zhī.

     This young lady is going to her future home;
     A hundred carriages are meeting her.

Pronunciation 4

Compounds

Descendants

Others:

• ⇒ Wutunhua: liangge (“two”), -liangge (“with”)
• → Vietnamese: lạng (兩, “tael; hectogram”)

Further reading

• “兩”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Southern Min

• “Entry #3599”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 両)

1. both

Readings

• Go-on: りょう (ryō)^{←りやう (ryau, historical)}
• Kan-on: りょう (ryō)^{←りやう (ryau, historical)}
• Tō-on: りゃん (ryan)
• Kun: ころ (koro, 兩); ふたつ (futatsu, 兩つ); もろ (moro, 兩)

Alternative forms

• 两 (also kyūjitai)

Korean

Etymology 1

Hanja

兩 (eumhun 두 량 (du ryang), South Korea 두 양 (du yang))

1. Hanja form^? of 량 (“both”).

Compounds

• 양반 (兩班, yangban, “(historical) yangban class in Korea”)
• 양성 (兩性, yangseong, “both sexes”)
• 양서류 (兩棲類, yangseoryu, “amphibian”)

Etymology 2

Hanja

兩 (eumhun 냥 냥 (nyang nyang), South Korea 냥 양 (nyang yang))

1. Hanja form^? of 냥 (“(archaic) (units of measure) a liang or tael, a unit of weight equivalent to about 40 g”).
2. Hanja form^? of 냥 (“(archaic) (units of coinage) a nyang”).

Vietnamese

Han character

兩: Hán Nôm readings: lưỡng, lượng, lạng

1. Nôm form of lạng (“tael (unit of weight equal to 37.8 grams)”).
2. chữ Hán form of lượng (“tael”).
3. chữ Hán form of lưỡng (“two, both”).

References