Scales; a balance used for measuring weight (the classic two-pan balance).
市場で八百屋が天秤を使って野菜の重さを量いていた。
At the market, a greengrocer was using scales to weigh vegetables.
正確な計測のために古い天秤を修理に出した。
I sent the old balance to be repaired for accurate measurement.
利益とリスクの天秤をかけて決断を下した。
He weighed the benefits against the risks and made a decision.
An abbreviation of 'tenbin-bō' (carrying/shoulder pole) — a pole used to carry loads on the shoulder.
行商人は天秤で商品を担いで村を回っていた。
Peddlers carried their goods on a shoulder pole as they went around the village.
古い写真には母が天秤を担いでいる姿が写っていた。
In an old photo, my mother was pictured carrying a load on a shoulder pole.
The thread take-up lever on a sewing machine (a part sometimes called a 'tenbin').
ミシンの天秤が外れていたので縫い目が安定しなかった。
The sewing machine's take-up lever was dislodged, so the stitches were unstable.
In fishing, a spreader bar used to spread out tackle or lures.
仕掛けを安定させるために天秤を使って釣り糸を広げた。
They used a spreader bar to spread the fishing line and stabilize the rig.