海量

• Pinyin: hǎi liàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 海 = vast sea, used metaphorically for immensity; 量 = 里 (within) + 日 (measure) — capacity or volume

Meaning

Vast amount; enormous capacity — like the ocean in scale or volume.

Used to describe an immense quantity of data, information, or resources (海量数据 — big data), or to praise someone's exceptional capacity to drink alcohol without getting drunk. The two senses are both common. In the digital era, 海量 has become a key term in data science and technology discourse.

Examples

1. 互联网每天产生海量的数据，如何有效处理和利用这些数据是当前的核心挑战。 The internet generates massive amounts of data every day, and how to process and use it effectively is a key challenge right now.
2. 这个图书馆拥有海量的馆藏资源，涵盖自然科学、人文艺术等各个领域。 This library has an enormous collection covering everything from the natural sciences to the humanities and the arts.
3. 在酒桌上他展现出惊人的海量，连喝数杯却面不改色。 At the dinner table, he showed an astonishing capacity for alcohol—downing several glasses without even changing his expression.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, data, social, compliment

Tone: admiring

Do Say

• 公司正在建设海量数据存储平台，以支持人工智能训练需求。(The company is building a massive data storage platform to support AI training requirements.)
• 他在宴会上展现出海量，令在座宾客无不佩服。(He displayed an extraordinary capacity for drink at the banquet, earning admiration from all the guests present.)

Don't Say

• 她对学习有海量 — 海量 collocates with countable or measurable things like data, drink, or resources; for enthusiasm about learning use 极大的热情 or 无穷的兴趣

Origin & History

海 (sea, ocean) + 量 (measure, capacity, volume) — ocean-like capacity

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal