衡 héng — balance, weigh · English

衡

héng

balance, weigh

At a glance · 衡

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从行，角、大、声相参，形声字，本指车辕前横木与秤杆。隶楷作「衡」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「衡」本指秤杆，引申为称量、平衡、准则。

Structure

形声字，从行（道路），以角大等为构件，表称量平衡。

At a glance

Pinyinhéng

Radical行

Strokes16

UnicodeU+8861

Character type形声

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English balance, weigh A balance beam; to weigh, balance.

Français balance, peser Un fléau de balance; peser, équilibrer.

Español balanza, pesar Un fléau de balanza; pesar, equilibrar.

العربية ميزان، يزن ميزان أو يزن ويُوازن.

Русский весы, взвешивать Коромысло весов; взвешивать, уравновешивать.

Common words

平衡píng héngbalance
衡héngweigh

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