测算

• Pinyin: cè suàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 测 = 氵(water) + 则 (phonetic/standard); 算 = 竹 (bamboo/abacus) + 目 (eye) + 廾 (hands)

Meaning

To measure and calculate; to estimate through measurement and computation.

A technical term combining measurement and calculation. Used in engineering, finance, environmental science, and planning for deriving figures through systematic measurement and computation, often with a degree of estimation.

Examples

1. 工程师对桥梁承重能力进行了精确测算，确保设计方案符合安全标准。 Engineers carried out precise calculations of the bridge's load-bearing capacity to ensure the design met safety standards.
2. 气象部门通过卫星数据测算出此次台风的风力和移动轨迹。 The meteorological department used satellite data to calculate the typhoon's wind force and trajectory.
3. 经济学家测算，按照目前的增速，该国GDP有望在五年内翻番。 Economists calculated that, at the current rate of growth, the country's GDP could double within five years.

Usage Guide

Context: engineering, finance, science, planning, economics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 根据模型测算，该项目的投资回报期约为七年。(According to model calculations, the investment payback period for this project is approximately seven years.)
• 环保部门对工厂废水排放量进行了实地测算，结果超出了允许标准。(The environmental authority carried out on-site measurement and calculation of the factory's wastewater discharge — the results exceeded permissible limits.)

Don't Say

• 我测算了今天的作业时间。(测算 implies technical measurement; for estimating how long homework will take use 估算 or 预计)

Origin & History

测 (to measure, survey) + 算 (to calculate, compute). To derive a figure through measurement and calculation.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal