衡

衡 U+8861, 衡 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8861 ← 衠 [U+8860] CJK Unified Ideographs 衢 → [U+8862]

Translingual

Han character

衡 (Kangxi radical 144, 行+10, 16 strokes, cangjie input 竹人弓大弓 (HONKN), four-corner 2122₁, composition ⿴行𩵋 or ⿲彳𩵋亍)

Derived characters

• 𭗯, 𬋛, 𤫄, 𫶣, 蘅, 𫂬

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1110, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 34078
• Dae Jaweon: page 1575, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 846, character 4
• Unihan data for U+8861

Chinese

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (行) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
筕	*ɡaːŋ, *ɡraːŋ
桁	*ɡaːŋ, *ɡraːŋ
行	*ɡaːŋ, *ɡaːŋs, *ɡraːŋ, *ɡraːŋs
胻	*ɡaːŋ, *ɡraːŋ, *ɡraːŋs
衡	*ɡraːŋ
蘅	*ɡraːŋ
珩	*ɡraːŋ
洐	*ɡraːŋ
荇	*ɡraːŋʔ
絎	*ɡraːŋs

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡraːŋ) : phonetic 行 (OC *ɡaːŋ, *ɡaːŋs, *ɡraːŋ, *ɡraːŋs) + semantic 角 (“horn”) + semantic 大 (“big”).

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		衡
alternative forms		𪉗 𢖍 𧗣

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): héng (heng²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hang⁴
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hn̂g / hêng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): huang⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: héng
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: héng
    • Wade–Giles: hêng²
    • Yale: héng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: herng
    • Palladius: хэн (xɛn)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xɤŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: hang⁴
    • Yale: hàhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hang⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: heng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐŋ²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hn̂g
    • Tâi-lô: hn̂g
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hngg
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hŋ̍²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hêng
    • Tâi-lô: hîng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: heeng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɪŋ²³/
    • IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /hiɪŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɪŋ¹³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: huang⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huâng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaŋ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: haeng

Rime
Character	衡
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	庚 (109)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	戸庚切
Baxter	haeng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠæŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦᵚaŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣaŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦaɨjŋ/
Li Rong	/ɣɐŋ/
Wang Li	/ɣɐŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣɐŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	héng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hang4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɡ]ˤraŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡraːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	衡
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	héng
Middle Chinese	‹ hæng ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɡ]ˁraŋ/
English	beam of a steelyard
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	衡
Reading #	1/1
No.	13868
Phonetic component	行
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	行
Old Chinese	/*ɡraːŋ/

Definitions

衡

1. cross yoke (of an ox, in carriage, etc.)
2. beam of steelyard; (by extension) weighing apparatus
3. to weigh
4. to judge; to measure
5. level; even; balanced
6. transverse; horizontal
7. a surname

Compounds

• 三教論衡／三教论衡
• 供需失衡
• 公衡
• 制衡 (zhìhéng)
• 力平衡
• 動態平衡／动态平衡 (dòngtài pínghéng)
• 困心衡慮／困心衡虑
• 均衡 (jūnhéng)
• 坑衡
• 大文衡
• 失衡 (shīhéng)
• 安定均衡
• 宰衡 (zǎihéng)
• 常衡 (chánghéng)
• 平衡 (pínghéng)
• 平衡力
• 平衡反應／平衡反应
• 平衡木 (pínghéngmù)
• 平衡稅／平衡税
• 平衡覺／平衡觉
• 度量衡 (dùliànghéng)
• 從衡／从衡
• 懸衡／悬衡
• 抗衡 (kànghéng)
• 持衡 (chíhéng)
• 持衡擁璇／持衡拥璇
• 掊斗折衡
• 收支平衡
• 散帶衡門／散带衡门
• 文衡
• 望衡對宇／望衡对宇
• 楅衡
• 樞衡／枢衡
• 機衡／机衡
• 權力均衡／权力均衡
• 權衡／权衡 (quánhéng)
• 權衡輕重／权衡轻重
• 氮平衡
• 熱平衡／热平衡
• 爭衡／争衡
• 玉衡
• 生態平衡／生态平衡 (shēngtài pínghéng)
• 盱衡
• 秉臺衡／秉台衡
• 穩定平衡／稳定平衡
• 藥衡／药衡 (yàohéng)
• 衡命
• 衡器
• 衡宇
• 衡山 (Héng Shān)
• 衡平
• 衡水 (Héngshuǐ)
• 衡石
• 衡石量書／衡石量书
• 衡視／衡视 (héngshì)
• 衡茅
• 衡行
• 衡軛／衡轭
• 衡量 (héngliáng)
• 衡鑑／衡鉴
• 衡門／衡门
• 衡門深巷／衡门深巷
• 衡闈／衡闱
• 衡陽／衡阳 (Héngyáng)
• 衡陽雁去／衡阳雁去
• 論衡／论衡 (Lùn Héng)
• 輻衡／辐衡
• 迓衡
• 連衡／连衡 (liánhéng)
• 金衡 (jīnhéng)
• 銓衡／铨衡
• 阿衡
• 隨遇平衡／随遇平衡 (suíyù pínghéng)
• 難與抗衡／难与抗衡
• 靜力平衡／静力平衡

 

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		衡
alternative forms		行 拫 恆／恒

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hang⁴

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: hang⁴
    • Yale: hàhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hang⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: heng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐŋ²¹/

Definitions

衡

1. (as a resultative) (pulled) tight; taut

   拉衡條繩。／拉衡条绳。 [Cantonese]  ―  laai¹ hang⁴ tiu⁴ sing^4-2. [Jyutping]  ―  Pull the rope taut.

2. to the limit; to the maximum

   開衡部冷氣／开衡部冷气 [Cantonese]  ―  hoi¹ hang⁴ bou⁶ laang⁵ hei³ [Jyutping]  ―  to turn up the AC to the maximum; to have the AC running on maximum

   扯到衡晒 [Cantonese]  ―  ce² dou³ hang⁴ saai³ [Jyutping]  ―  to be fully erect

3. famous; prestigious; well-known

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 緊 (“tight”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		緊
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	緊
	Singapore	緊
Southwestern Mandarin	Guilin	緊
Cantonese	Guangzhou	緊, 衡 †
	Hong Kong	緊, 衡 †
	Singapore (Guangfu)	緊
Hakka	Meixian	緊, 絚
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	絚
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	絚
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	絚
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	絚
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	絚
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	絚
Southern Min	Xiamen	絚
	Quanzhou	絚, 絚丹
	Zhangzhou	絚
	Taipei	絚 GT
	Penang (Hokkien)	絚
	Singapore (Hokkien)	絚
	Chaozhou	絚
	Shantou	絚
	Jieyang	絚
Note	GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified); † - only used for pulled objects as a resultative

References

• “Query for 衡”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Hokkien and Mandarin), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.
• “衡”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

衡

(Jōyō kanji)

1. equilibrium
2. measuring rod
3. scale

Readings

• Go-on: ぎょう (gyō)^{←きやう (kyau, historical)}
• Kan-on: こう (kō, Jōyō)^{←かう (kau, historical)}
• Kun: くびき (kubiki, 衡)、はかり (hakari, 衡)、はかる (hakaru, 衡る)
• Nanori: ひら (hira)

Compounds

• 拡大均衡(かくだいきんこう) (kakudai kinkō)
• 合従連衡(がっしょうれんこう) (gasshō renkō)
• 均衡(きんこう) (kinkō)
• 均衡価格(きんこうかかく) (kinkō kakaku)
• 均衡経済(きんこうけいざい) (kinkō keizai)
• 均衡予算(きんこうよさん) (kinkō yosan)
• 権衡(けんこう) (kenkō)
• 衡器(こうき) (kōki)
• 衡平(こうへい) (kōhei)
• 財政均衡計画(ざいせいきんこうけいかく) (zaisei kinkō keikaku)
• 銓衡(せんこう) (senkō)
• 度量衡(どりょうこう) (doryōkō)
• 不均衡(ふきんこう) (fukinkō)
• 平衡(へいこう) (heikō)
• 平衡感覚(へいこうかんかく) (heikō kankaku)
• 平衡錘(へいこうすい) (heikōsui)
• 利子平衡税(りしへいこうぜい) (rishiheikōzei)
• 連衡(れんこう) (renkō)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
衡
くびき Grade: S
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 衡 – see the following entry.

【くびき】 [noun] yoke (wooden bar) Alternative spellings 軛, 頸木

(This term, 衡, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

衡 • (hyeong, hoeng) (hangeul 형, 횡, revised hyeong, hoeng, McCune–Reischauer hyŏng, hoeng, Yale hyeng, hoyng)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

衡: Hán Nôm readings: hành, hoành

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.