粮

糧
liáng
noun #11,990

Meanings

  1. 1 grain
  2. 2 food
  3. 3 provisions

Examples

HSK 3
Qù páshān de shíhou, jìde dài yìxiē gānliang.
When you go hiking, remember to bring some dry food.
HSK 4
Wǒmen bù yīnggāi làngfèi liángshi.
We shouldn't waste food.

Tips

memory
米 (rice) + 良 (good) - good rice as provisions

Components

radical
米 mǐ
rice; grain
Left-side rice radical - pictograph of grains of rice scattered around a central cross, the threshing-floor scene. The indexing radical, marking 粮 as a grain/food-supply character: 粮 covers all stored cereals - rice, wheat, millet - the bulk staples a household lives on. Same grain-family: 粒 grain-particle, 糕 cake, 粉 powder, 糖 sugar.
phonetic
良 liáng
good; fine
Right side 良 supplies the sound exactly: liáng → liáng, identical pinyin and tone. 良 originally pictured a grain-cleaning bowl with grain falling through (hence 'fine, choice') - so even as phonetic it carries a quiet semantic echo: 粮 is the good grain, the cleaned supply. Same phonetic family: 浪 wave, 朗 bright, 廊 corridor.

Stroke Order

粮 liáng