The word 测量 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core semantic idea about determining magnitude. The first character, 测, conveys the notion of observing, gauging, or inferring (often through a process or instrument). The second, 量, carries the meaning of quantifying, calculating, or determining extent (like volume, length, or degree). Together, they conceptually merge the act of systematic observation with the act of determining quantitative value, coalescing into the single integrated concept of "to measure".