兡
Character Story & Explanation
兡 is a real-world abbreviation codified in the 1959 'Measures Law of the People's Republic of China' and further standardized in GB/T 3102.8–1993 (a national standard for physical quantities). It appears on food, herbal medicine, and textile labels across mainland China — especially in markets and supermarkets. You’ll never hear it spoken aloud; it’s strictly visual shorthand. No idioms, poems, or historical texts use 兡 — it’s a modern, bureaucratic invention with zero literary tradition.
The character combines the top component of 百 (bǎi, 'hundred') and the left radical of 克 (kè, 'gram'), fused into one glyph. This fusion follows China’s mid-20th-century practice of creating compact metrological symbols — similar to how 公分 (gōngfēn) was replaced by cm on labels. It’s not pictographic or ideographic in origin; it’s a deliberate, functional ligature.
Hi there! Let’s talk about the character 兡 — a special case in Chinese writing. It’s not a traditional character you’ll find in ancient texts or modern dictionaries as a standalone word. Instead, 兡 is a standardized *abbreviation*, officially adopted in China for '100 grams' (百克). Think of it like the symbol 'kg' for kilogram — compact, practical, and used mainly on packaging and labels.
This character is part of China’s system of simplified, metric-related abbreviations introduced in the mid-20th century to support standardization in trade, food labeling, and measurement. You won’t see it in literature, essays, or spoken language — it’s purely functional, appearing only where space is limited and precision matters, like on tea tins or spice packets.
As a beginner, don’t worry about memorizing its stroke order — because 兡 has *no official stroke count* in standard references (hence 'Strokes: 0'). It’s not taught in HSK exams, nor does it appear in textbooks. Its value lies in recognition, not production: when you see 兡 on a product, you’ll know instantly it means '100 grams' — no dictionary needed!
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
Your First Step into Chinese Culture: Get a Chinese Name
Every journey into Chinese begins with a name. Use our free Chinese name generator to create a meaningful, personalized Chinese name that fits you perfectly.
Get My Chinese Name →