Definitions

lvè (ancient unit of weight)

Etymology phono-semantic

metal

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

, the simplified form of traditional , is a phono-semantic compound: the metal radical places it in the semantic domain of metallic objects or currency, and (lüè) supplies the pronunciation. It was coined as an ancient Chinese unit of weight for measuring precious metals like bronze, silver, or gold, though its exact mass varied considerably across historical periods. As an archaic measure tied to past economic systems, it has no modern colloquial usage or abstract meanings and survives solely as a historical noun denoting a metal weight.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern