平衡 (pínghéng)

平衡 means balance or equilibrium, and can be used as an adjective to describe a balanced state or as a verb meaning to balance or keep in balance.

Meanings

[adjective] balanced; in equilibrium
[verb] to balance; to keep in balance

Example Sentences

要保持工作和生活的平衡。 Yào bǎochí gōngzuò hé shēnghuó de pínghéng. It's important to maintain a balance between work and life.

他的饮食很平衡，每天吃不同种类的食物。 Tā de yǐnshí hěn pínghéng, měitiān chī bùtóng zhǒnglèi de shíwù. His diet is very balanced; he eats different kinds of food every day.

政府需要平衡经济发展和环境保护。 Zhèngfǔ xūyào pínghéng jīngjì fāzhǎn hé huánjìng bǎohù. The government needs to balance economic development and environmental protection.

这个运动员在平衡木上表现得非常好。 Zhège yùndòng yuán zài pínghéng mù shàng biǎoxiàn de fēicháng hǎo. This athlete performed very well on the balance beam.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
保持平衡	to maintain balance
平衡发展	balanced development
心理平衡	psychological balance
失去平衡	to lose balance

Usage Notes

平衡 is used in both literal contexts (physical balance) and figurative ones (balance between competing priorities). In modern usage it is very common in discussions about work-life balance (工作与生活的平衡) and sustainable development. It can function as both adjective and verb.

Memory Hook

平 means "flat/level" and 衡 originally referred to a balance scale. Together they describe a perfectly level scale: true equilibrium.