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two (of something) / both

liǎng
7 strokes · 一 + 冂 frame holding a pair — two yoked together · HSK 2

Where 两 comes from

两 (traditional 兩) pictured a paired yoke or a balance with twin pans — two things built to go together. It was also a weight unit (the tael, 一两银子 of every period drama).

两 in Chinese culture

Chinese has two twos, and 两 is the one you actually use before things: 两个人 (two people), 两点 (two o'clock), 两百 (two hundred) — while 二 stays for counting and math. Getting 二/两 right is a beginner milestone (两个, never 二个). Bonus meanings: 两 is still the tael (50g) at tea shops and gold counters, and 我们两个 ('the two of us') is friendship's smallest unit.

Example

两个 liǎng ge — two (of them)

我有两个问题。
Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge wèntí.
I have two questions.

How to remember it

A yoke built for a pair — TWO of something.

二个 is the error every learner makes exactly once out loud. It's 两个 — the correction is a rite of passage.

Same sound, different tones

2nd liáng
cool
3rd liǎng
two of
4th liàng
bright

Words unlocked by 两

两个 liǎng ge
two (of them)
两点 liǎng diǎn
two o'clock
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