diān
verb #14,642

Meanings

  1. 1 to weigh in the hand
  2. 2 to estimate; to assess

Examples

Tā diān le diān nàge xiāngzi.
He hefted the box to feel its weight.
Nǐ zìjǐ diānliang diānliang ba.
Think it over carefully yourself.

Tips

usage
掂量 is a common extension meaning 'to weigh up / to consider carefully.' The reduplicated form 掂量掂量 softens it into a suggestion.

Components

radical
shǒu
hand (radical form of 手)
Left-side hand radical, the three-stroke side form of . Indexes in the hand-action family alongside to hold, to grip, to lift. Hefting something to test its weight is pure hand-work, the radical names the palm and fingers cradling the object as they judge.
phonetic
diàn
shop
Right side supplies the sound: diàn shifted to diān with tone change. The shop meaning doesn't transfer, though the merchant connection is faintly apt, weighing goods by hand is exactly what a shopkeeper does at the counter. The shared phonetic anchors to stand and dot.

Stroke Order

diān