Definitions

liǎ (numeral) two; both

Etymology

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

The character "俩", with its traditional form "倆", is structurally composed of the person radical "亻" combined with the numeral "两", meaning two, directly indicating its sense of "two persons". It originated as a written representation of the colloquial contraction of the phrase "两个", used specifically for counting people, and thus its formation reflects this functional etymology. Over time, while its core meaning remains firmly dual and human-centric, it has also acquired informal usage in some northern dialects to loosely imply a small number like "a few", though this does not displace its primary definition.

Etymology Hide

Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们是朋友。

Wǒmen liǎ shì péngyou.

The two of us are friends.

明天过来吧。

Nǐ liǎ míngtiān guòlái ba.

You two come over tomorrow.

他们在公园散步。

Tāmen liǎ zài gōngyuán sànbù.

The two of them are taking a walk in the park.

姐妹长得真像。

Jiěmèi liǎ zhǎng de zhēn xiàng.

The two sisters look so much alike.

就我们知道这个秘密。

Jiù wǒmen liǎ zhīdào zhège mìmì.

Only the two of us know this secret.

这兄弟的性格完全不同。

Zhè xiōngdì liǎ de xìnggé wánquán bù tóng.

The personalities of these two brothers are completely different.

夫妻省吃俭用供孩子上学。

Fūqī liǎ shěngchījiǎnyòng gōng háizi shàngxué.

The husband and wife couple live frugally to put their child through school.

咱们把这些问题仔细讨论一下。

Zánmen liǎ bǎ zhèxiē wèntí zǐxì tǎolùn yíxià.

Let the two of us discuss these problems carefully.