两
liǎng
two
both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old)
one roof (一) + enclosure (冂) + two people (从) = two, a pair
The original form showed two people (从) side by side inside a boundary (冂), under a single roof (一) — a pair sharing the same space. From 'a pair' came the broader senses of both, some, and the weight unit tael.
Words with 两
两重天
liǎng chóng tiān
two entirely different worlds; two contrasting realities
两难
liǎng nán
dilemma
进退两难
jìn tuì liǎng nán
no room to advance or to retreat (idiom); without any way out of a dilemma
银两
yín liǎng
silver (as currency)
首鼠两端
shǒu shǔ liǎng duān
(idiom) to hesitate
一个头两个大
yī ge tóu liǎng ge dà
(coll.) to feel as though one's head could explode (Tw)
一刀两断
yī dāo liǎng duàn
(idiom) to make a clean break with; to have nothing more to do with
一分钱两分货
yī fēn qián liǎng fēn huò
high quality at bargain price
一回生两回熟
yī huí shēng liǎng huí shú
see 一回生二回熟[yi1 hui2 sheng1 er4 hui2 shu2]
一国两制
yī guó liǎng zhì
one country, two systems (PRC proposal regarding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan)
一家人不说两家话
yī jiā rén bù shuō liǎng jiā huà
lit. family members speak frankly with one another, not courteously, as if they were from two different families (idiom)
一折两段
yī zhé liǎng duàn
to split sth into two (idiom)