Definitions

diān to weigh in the hand; to estimate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "掂" is structured from the hand radical (扌) combined with "店" which primarily provides phonetic guidance, though its presence may subtly reinforce a sense of measured action given a shop's commercial assessments. Its core etymology relates to the physical action of weighing an object in one's hand to judge its heft, a meaning directly implied by its hand component. From this tangible origin of manual estimation, its meaning expanded into the more abstract mental act of thinking something over or assessing a situation. This evaluative sense further developed into its most common contemporary usage as an adjective meaning "stable", "settled", or "alright", as in something being satisfactorily resolved or firmly in place, completing a shift from a specific physical gesture to a broad state of conclusion or steadiness.

Example Sentences Hide

这个袋子。

Wǒ diān le diān zhège dàizi.

I weighed this bag in my hand.

她轻轻那本书。

Tā qīngqīng diān le diān nà běn shū.

She lightly weighed that book in her hand.

妈妈西瓜看看熟不熟。

Māma diān le diān xīguā kàn kan shú bù shú.

Mom weighed the watermelon in her hand to see if it was ripe.

量了一下自己的决定。

Tā diānliang le yīxià zìjǐ de juédìng.

He weighed his decision carefully.

你先这个盒子,然后告诉我重量。

Nǐ xiān diān diān zhège hézi, ránhòu gàosu wǒ zhòngliàng.

First weigh this box in your hand, then tell me the weight.

背包,觉得它不太重。

Wǒ diān le diān bēibāo, juédé tā bù tài zhòng.

I weighed the backpack in my hand and felt it wasn't too heavy.

他仔细量了每个选项的利弊。

Tā zǐxì diānliangle měi gè xuǎnxiàng de lìbì.

He carefully weighed the pros and cons of each option.

在做出最终选择之前,你必须量所有可能的结果。

Zài zuòchū zuìzhōng xuǎnzé zhīqián, nǐ bìxū diānliang suǒyǒu kěnéng de jiéguǒ.

Before making the final choice, you must weigh all possible outcomes.