秤 (chèng) is a Chinese character meaning “scale”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 平 (flat; level; even), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “scale (for weighing)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
禾 + 平
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 构形核验（现代字形，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺分组：前 5 笔为禾，后 5 笔为平）
Memory aid
Grain (禾) on one side, level (平) on the other: you weigh the grain until the beam hangs level — that is a scale.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 电子秤diàn zǐ chèngelectronic scale秤 = chèng
- 秤杆chèng gǎnbeam of a steelyard秤 = chèng
Go deeper
All readings
scale; steelyard
scale; steelyard; balance for weighing
测定物体重量的器具，如杆秤、台秤、电子秤。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 电子秤diàn zǐ chèngelectronic scale秤 = chèng
- 秤杆chèng gǎnbeam of a steelyard秤 = chèng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 秤 mean?
秤 (chèng) means scale; steelyard; balance for weighing.
How do you pronounce 秤?
It is pronounced chèng.
What parts is 秤 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 平 (flat; level; even), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 构形核验（现代字形，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺分组：前 5 笔为禾，后 5 笔为平）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 秤 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 秤?
禾. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 秤?
Common ones are 电子秤 and 秤杆. The reading of 秤 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.