称 (chèn): to fit; to match; to suit

Meanings

1 to fit; to match; to suit
2 to be in proportion with

Characters

Same glyph as chēng - grain radical 禾 + 尔. The fit/match sense diverges in tone: chèn (4th tone) means one thing matches another in size, role, or proportion, as if balanced on a scale.

Examples

HSK 3

他很称职，工作做得很好。

Tā hěn chènzhí, gōngzuò zuò de hěn hǎo.

He's well-suited to the job and performs it very well.

HSK 4

这件衣服很称你的身材。

Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn chèn nǐ de shēncái.

This outfit really suits your figure.

Tips

usage

The chèn reading shows up in 称职 (fit for the job), 对称 (symmetrical), 相称 (to match), 匀称 (well-proportioned), and 称心 / 称心如意 (satisfactory). Core idea: one thing matching another in size, role, or proportion.

mistakes

Don't pronounce 称职 or 对称 with chēng - the fit/match sense is always chèn (4th tone). The chēng reading (1st tone) is for calling, stating, and weighing.

Components

radical

禾 hé

grain; ripe grain stalk

Left grain radical - picturing a stalk of ripe grain bending under its weight. Anchors 称 in the original sense of weighing grain on a balance. From weighing came naming (saying the weight) and praising (saying highly of). Same grain family: 秋 (autumn), 种 (seed), 租 (rent), 私 (private).

phonetic

尔 ěr

you (here phonetic)

Right 尔 supplies a residual phonetic value (ěr to chēng/chèn through old initial drift). The traditional 稱 had a fuller phonetic 爯; the simplified 称 substitutes 尔 as a graphic shortcut. Same phonetic shortcut in: 你 (you).