Chinese units of measurement
Chinese units of measurement (Chinese: 市制; pinyin: shìzhì; literally "market system") are the customary and traditional units of measure used in China. In the People's Republic of China, the units were re-standardised during the late 20th century to make them approximate SI (metric) units. Many of the units were formerly based on the number 16 instead of 10. In Hong Kong, the British Imperial system was used together with Hong Kong units of measurement, which were traditional Chinese weights and measures, and now traditional Chinese units and Imperial units are used alongside the metric system, which was introduced by legislation in 1976 as the official standard system of weights and measures. Taiwanese units of measurement, which appeared under the colonial influences of the Dutch and the Japanese, for the most part may have similar names but are different from the Chinese units of measurement. Taiwan is now fully metricated.
The Chinese name for most SI units is based on that of the closest traditional unit. When it is necessary to emphasize which system is used, the words "market" (市 shì) for traditional units or "common/standard" (公 gōng) for SI units may be added in front of the name. SI is the official system of units, but traditional units are still ubiquitously used in everyday life.
Note: The names lí (厘) and fēn (分) for small units are the same for length, area, and mass; however, they refer to different kinds of measurements.
Contents |
History [edit]
 |
| History of science and technology in China |
|---|
| Inventions |
| Discoveries |
| By era |
| Han Dynasty |
| Tang Dynasty |
| Song Dynasty |
| People's Republic of China |
| Present-day China |
According to the Liji, the legendary Yellow Emperor created the first measurement units. The Xiao Erya and Kongzi jiayu state that length units were derived from the human body. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, these human body units caused inconsistency, and Yu the Great, another legendary figure, unified the length measurements. Rulers with decimal units have been unearthed from Shang Dynasty tombs.
In the Zhou Dynasty, the king conferred nobles with powers of the state and the measurement units began to be inconsistent from state to state. After the Warring States Period, Qin Shi Huang unified China, and later standardized measurement units. In the Han Dynasty, these measurements were still being used, and were documented systematically in the Book of Han.
Astronomical instruments show little change of the length of chi in the following centuries, since the calendar needed to be consistent. It was not until the introduction of decimal units in the Ming Dynasty that the traditional system was revised.
Republican Era [edit]
On 7 January 1915, the Beiyang Government promulgated a measurement law to use not only metric system as the standard but also a set of Chinese-style measurement.[1] On 16 February 1929, the Nationalist Government adopted and promulgated The Weights and Measures Act[2] to adopt the metric system as the official standard and to limit the newer Chinese units of measurement (Chinese: 市用制; pinyin: shìyòngzhì; literally "market-use system") to private sales and trade in Article 11, effective on 1 January 1930.[3]
People's Republic of China [edit]
The Government of the People's Republic of China continued using the market system along with metric system, as decreed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China on 25 June 1959, but 1 catty being 500 grams, would become divided into 10 (new) taels, instead of 16 (old) taels, to be converted from province to province, while exempting Chinese prescription drugs from the conversion to prevent errors.[4]
On 27 February 1984, the State Council of the People's Republic of China decreed the market system to remain acceptable till the end of 1990 and ordered the transition to the national legal measures by that time, but farmland measures would be exempt from this mandatory metrication until further investigation and study.[5]
Hong Kong [edit]
In 1976 the Hong Kong Metrication Ordinance allowed a gradual replacement of the system in favor of the International System of Units (SI) metric system.[6] The Weights and Measures Ordinance defines the metric, Imperial, and Chinese units.[7] As of 2012, all three systems are legal for trade and are in widespread use.
Macau [edit]
On 24 August 1992, Macau published Law No. 14/92/M to order that Chinese units of measurement similar to those used in Hong Kong, Imperial units, and United States customary units would be permissible for five years since the effective date of the Law, 1 January 1993, on the condition of indicating the corresponding SI values, then for three more years thereafter, Chinese, Imperial, and US units would be permissible as secondary to the SI.[8]
Ancient Chinese units [edit]
Length [edit]
._Hanzhong_City.jpg){kind=small}
Traditional units of length include the chi (尺), bu (步), and li (里). The precise length of these units, and the ratios between these units, has varied over time. 1 bu has consisted of either 5 or 6 chi, while 1 li has consisted of 300 or 360 bu.
| dynasty | chi | bu | li | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| = 5 chi | = 6 chi | = 300 bu | = 360 bu | ||
| Shang | 0.1675 | 1.0050 | 301.50 | ||
| 0.1690 | 1.0140 | 304.20 | |||
| Zhou | 0.1990 | 1.1940 | 358.20 | ||
| Eastern Zhou | 0.2200 | 1.3200 | 396.00 | ||
| 0.2270 | 1.3620 | 408.60 | |||
| 0.2310 | 1.3860 | 415.80 | |||
| Qin | 0.2310 | 1.3860 | 415.80[10][11] | ||
| Han | 0.2310 | 1.3860 | 415.80[12] 415.80[10][11] | ||
| 600 CE | 0.2550 | 1.5300 | 459.00 | ||
| Tang | 0.2465 | 1.2325 | 369.75 | 443.70 | |
| 0.2955 | 1.4775 | 443.25 | 531.90 | ||
| Song | 0.2700 | 1.3500 | 405.00 | 486.00 | |
| Northern Song | 0.3080 | 1.5400 | 462.00 | 554.40 | |
| Ming | 0.3008–0.3190 | 1.5040–1.5950 | 451.20–478.50 | 541.44–574.20 | |
| Qing | 0.3080–0.3352 | 1.5400–1.6760 | 462.00–503.89 | 554.40–603.46 | |
Modern Chinese units [edit]
All "metric values" given in the tables are exact unless otherwise specified by the approximation sign '~'.
Length [edit]
Chinese length units promulgated in 1915 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 1/10 000 | 32 µm | ||
| lí | 釐 (T), 厘 (S) |
1/1000 | 0.32 mm | ||
| fēn | 分 | 1/100 | 3.2 mm | ||
| cùn | 寸 | 1/10 | 32 mm | Chinese inch | |
| chǐ | 尺 | 1 | 0.32 m | Chinese foot | |
| bù | 步 | 5 | 1.6 m | Chinese pace | |
| zhàng | 丈 | 10 | 3.2 m | ||
| yǐn | 引 | 100 | 32 m | ||
| lǐ | 里 | 1800 | 576 m | this li is not the small li above, which has a different character and tone |
Chinese length units effective in 1930 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 1/10 000 | 33 ⅓ µm | ||
| lí | 釐 (T), 厘 (S) |
1/1000 | ⅓ mm | ||
| fēn | 市分 | 1/100 | 3⅓ mm | ~0.1312 in | |
| cùn | 市寸 | 1/10 | 3 ⅓ cm | ~1.312 in | Chinese inch |
| chǐ | 市尺 | 1 | 33 ⅓ cm | ~1.094 ft | Chinese foot |
| zhàng | 市丈 | 10 | 3 ⅓ m | ~3.645 yd | |
| yǐn | 引 | 100 | 33 ⅓ m | ~36.45 yd | |
| lǐ | 市里 | 1500 | 500 m | ~546.8 yd | this li is not the small li above, which has a different character and tone |
Hong Kong and Macau length units [edit]
| Jyutping | Hanzi | Portuguese | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fan | 分 | Condorim | 1/100 | 3.71475 mm | ~0.1463 in | |
| tsun | 寸 | Ponto | 1/10 | 3.71475 cm | ~1.463 in | |
| chek | 尺 | Côvado | 1 | 37.1475 cm | ~1.219 ft | Hong Kong and Macau foot |
Area [edit]
Chinese area units promulgated in 1915 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 0.001 | 0.6144 m² | ~0.7348 sq yd | |
| lí | 釐 (T), 厘 (S) |
0.01 | 6.144 m² | ~7.348 sq yd | |
| fēn | 分 | 0.1 | 61.44 m² | ~73.48 sq yd | 10 li |
| mǔ | 畝 (T), 亩 (S) |
1 | 614.4 m² | ~734.82 sq yd | 10 fen, or 60 zhang² |
| qǐng | 頃 (T), 顷 (S) |
100 | 61440 m² | ~73482 sq yd | 100 mǔ |
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fāng cùn | 方寸 | 1⁄100 | 10.24 cm² | 100 fen² | |
| fāng chǐ | 方尺 | 1 | 0.1024 m² | 100 cun² | |
| fāng zhang | 方丈 | 100 | 10.24 m² | 100 chi² |
Chinese area units effective in 1930 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 0.001 | 2⁄3 m² | ~7.973 sq yd | |
| lí | 釐 (T), 厘 (S) |
0.01 | 6 2⁄3 m² | ~7.973 sq yd | |
| fēn | 市分 | 0.1 | 66 2⁄3 m² | ~79.73 sq yd | 10 li |
| mǔ | 畝 (T), 亩 (S) |
1 | 666 2⁄3 m² | ~797.3 sq yd, or ~0.1647 acres |
10 fen, or 60 zhang² |
| qǐng | 頃 (T), 顷 (S) |
100 | 6 2⁄3 ha | ~16.47 acres | 10 shí or 100 mǔ |
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fāng cùn | 方寸 | 1⁄100 | 11 1⁄9 cm² | ~1.722 sq in | 100 fen² |
| fāng chǐ | 方尺 | 1 | 1⁄9 m² | ~172.2 sq in, or ~1.196 sq ft |
100 cun² |
| fāng zhang | 方丈 | 100 | 11 1⁄9 m² | ~119.6 sq ft, or ~13.29 sq yd |
100 chi² |
Macau area units [edit]
| Jyutping | Hanzi | Portuguese | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 尺 | Côvado | 1/6000 | 0.1269 m² | |||
| 鋪 | 1/240 | 3.1725 m² | ||||
| 丈 | Braça | 1/60 | 12.69 m² | |||
| 分 | Condorim | 1/10 | 76.14 m² | |||
| 畝 (T), 亩 (S) |
Maz | 1 | 761.4 m² |
Volume [edit]
These units are used to measure cereal grains.
Chinese volume units promulgated in 1915 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | US dry value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sháo | 勺 | 1/100 | 10.354688 ml | |||
| gě | 合 | 1/10 | 103.54688 ml | |||
| shēng | 升 | 1 | 1.0354688 L | |||
| dǒu | 斗 | 10 | 10.354688 L | |||
| hú | 斛 | 50 | 51.77344 L | |||
| dàn | 石 | 100 | 103.54688 L |
Chinese volume units effective in 1930 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | US dry value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cuō | 撮 | 1/1000 | 1 ml | |||
| sháo | 勺 | 1/100 | 10 ml | ~0.6102 cu in | ||
| gě | 合 | 1/10 | 100 ml | ~0.1816 pints | ~6.102 cu in | |
| shēng | 市升 | 1 | 1 L | ~1.816 pints | ~61.02 cu in | |
| dǒu | 市斗 | 10 | 10 L | ~18.16 pints, or ~2.27 gallons |
~610.2 cu in, or ~0.3531 cu ft |
|
| dàn | 市石 | 100 | 100 L | ~22.7 gallons | ~3.531 cu ft |
Macau volume units [edit]
| Jyutping | Hanzi | Portuguese | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 撮 | 0.01 | 1.031 L | ||||
| 甘特 | 0.1 | 10.31 L | ||||
| 石 | 1 | 103.1 L |
Mass [edit]
These units are used to measure the mass of objects. They are also famous for measuring monetary objects such as gold and silver.
Chinese mass units promulgated in 1915 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 1/10 000 | 3.7301 mg | ||
| lí | 釐 | 1/1 000 | 37.301 mg | cash | |
| fēn | 分 | 1/100 | 373.01 mg | candareen | |
| qián | 錢 | 1/10 | 3.7301 g | mace | |
| liǎng | 兩 | 1 | 37.301 g | tael or Chinese ounce | |
| jīn | 斤 | 16 | 596.816 g | catty or Chinese pound |
Mass units in the Republic of China since 1930 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sī | 絲 | 1/1000 000 | 312.5 µg | ||
| háo | 毫 | 1/160 000 | 3.125 mg | ||
| lí | 市釐 | 1/16 000 | 31.25 mg | cash | |
| fēn | 市分 | 1/1600 | 312.5 mg | candareen | |
| qián | 市錢 | 1/160 | 3.125 g | mace | |
| liǎng | 市兩 | 1/16 | 31.25 g | tael or Chinese ounce | |
| jīn | 市斤 | 1 | 500 g | ~1.102 lb | catty or Chinese pound |
| dàn | 擔 / 担 | 100 | 50 kg | ~110.2 lb | picul or Chinese hundredweight |
Mass units in the People's Republic of China since 1959 [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi[13] | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lí | 市厘 | 1/10 000 | 50 mg | cash | |
| fēn | 市分 | 1/1000 | 500 mg | ~0.2822 dr | candareen |
| qián | 市钱 | 1/100 | 5 g | ~2.822 dr | mace |
| liǎng | 市两 | 1/10 | 50 g | ~1.764 oz | tael or Chinese ounce |
| jīn | 市斤 | 1 | 500 g | ~1.102 lb | catty or Chinese pound formerly 16 liang = 1 jin |
| dàn | 市担 / 擔 | 100 | 50 kg | ~110.2 lb | picul or Chinese hundredweight |
Hong Kong and Macau mass units [edit]
| English | Hanzi | Jyutping | Portuguese | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 厘 | Liz | 1/1600 | 37.79931 mg | ~0.2133 dr | Not defined in Hong Kong. Macanese definition may not be correct when dividing catty. | ||
| candareen (fan) | 分 | fan1 | Condorim | 1/1600 | 377.9936375 mg | ~0.2133 dr | Macanese definition of 377.9931 mg may not be correct when dividing catty. |
| mace (tsin) | 錢 | cin4 | Maz | 1/160 | 3.779936375 g | ~2.1333 dr | Macanese definition of 3.779931 g may not be correct when dividing catty. |
| tael (leung) | 兩 | loeng2 | Tael | 1/16 | 37.79936375 g | ~1.3333 oz | Macanese definition of 37.79931 g may not be correct when dividing catty. |
| catty (kan) | 斤 | gan1 | Cate | 1 | 604.78982 g | ~1.3333 lb | Hong Kong and Macau share the definition. |
| picul (tam) | 担 / 擔 | daam3 | Pico | 100 | 60.478982 kg | ~133.3333 lb | Hong Kong and Macau share the definition. |
Hong Kong Troy units [edit]
These are used for trading precious metals such as gold and silver.
| English | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| troy candareen | 金衡分 | 1/100 | 374.29 milligrams | ~0.096 troy drams | |
| troy mace | 金衡錢 | 1/10 | 3.7429 grams | ~0.96 troy drams | |
| troy tael | 金衡兩 | 1 | 37.429 grams | ~1.2 troy ounces |
Time [edit]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Western value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| miǎo | 秒 | 1 second | ||
| old fēn | 分 | 1/60 kè | 15 seconds | No longer in common usage. |
| fēn | 分 | 1 minute | ||
| zi | 字 | 5 minutes | Used mostly in dialogue, since saying 'minutes' implies more accuracy and usually one syllable longer. | |
| kè | 刻 | 60 old fēn | 15 minutes | Historically this had been defined as 1/96, 1/100, 1/108, or 1/120 of a day. The value here is the modern conventional value (1/96 day). |
| xiǎoshí | 小时 | 4 kè | 1 hour | |
| shíchén | 时辰 | 8 kè | 2 hours | No longer in common use; retains religious, ceremonial and traditional usage, such as in the calculation of the Four Pillars of Destiny in Chinese astrology, Feng shui or Chinese fortune telling. |
| shí | 时 | 10 kè | 2.5 hours | No longer in common use; retains religious, ceremonial and traditional usage. (Mostly used in religious purposes.) |
| rì, or tiān |
日, or 天 |
12 shíchén | 24 hours |
Since 1645 (except for 1665–1669), the above equivalents have been true. Except for several short periods of a few years each, before 1645 (before the Qing dynasty) the following were true:
- 1 rì (日)
- = 12 shíchén (时辰) = 10 shí (时) = 100 kè (刻),.[14]
- 1 shíchén (时辰)
- = 8 1/3 kè (刻) = 8 kè 20 fēn (分).
- 1 shí (时)
- = 10 kè (刻).
Historiography [edit]
As there were hundreds of unofficial measures in use, the bibliography is quite vast. Up to the 1980s or so, the book by Wu Chenglou (吳承洛), Zhongguo dulianghengshi (中國度量衡史), first printed in 1937 and republished/revised a few times since (1957, 1993), was often used as reference. It relies however mostly on literary accounts. Newer research has put more emphasis on archeological discoveries.[15] From this latter body of work, an abridged Chinese-English overview book appeared in 2005.[16] Alas, no comprehensive text appears to exist in English. A relatively recent and comprehensive bibliography, organized by period studied, has been compiled in 2004 by Theobald, Vogel, et al.;[17] for a shorter list see Wilkinson's Chinese history: a manual (2000).[15]
See also [edit]
- Earthly Branches
- History of measurement
- Systems of measurement
- Units of measurement
- Chinese numbers
- Chinese classifier
- Chemical elements in East Asian languages
- Vietnamese units of measurement
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f 大總統令法律第1號 (7 January 1915). "(Chinese)[[Category:Articles with Chinese language external links]][[Category:Articles with Chinese language external links]]公布「權度法」". Government Gazette Volume No. 957, pages 85 to 94. National Central Library Gazette Online. Wikilink embedded in URL title (help)
- ^ "The Weights and Measures Act: Legislative History". Ministry of Justice (Republic of China).
- ^ a b c d e f "The Weights and Measures Act (1929)". Legislative Yuan.
- ^ a b (Chinese) 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, No. 180, pages 311 to 312
- ^ Decree of the State Council Concerning the Use of Uniform Legal Measures in the Country
- ^ Yearbook HK. "Yearbook." Metrication. Retrieved on 26 April 2007.
- ^ a b c d Hong Kong legal definitions for metric, Imperial, and Chinese units and its traditional Chinese version
- ^ a b c d e Law No. 14/92/M ((Chinese) 第14/92/M號法律 (Portuguese) Lei n.º 14/92/M)
- ^ Schinz, 1996
- ^ a b Dubs (1938), pp. 276-280; (1955), p. 160, n. 7.
- ^ a b Hulsewé (1961), pp. 206–207.
- ^ Hill (2009), "About the Measurements", pp. xx-xxi.
- ^ (Chinese) 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, No. 180, page 316
- ^ Nachum Dershowitz, Edward M. Reingold, Calendrical calculations, page 207
- ^ a b Endymion Porter Wilkinson (2000). Chinese history: a manual (2 ed.). Harvard University Asia Center. pp. 244–245. ISBN 978-0-674-00249-4.
- ^ Qiu Guangming (丘光明) with translation by Yanming Zhang (张延明), Zhongguo gudai jiliang shi tujian (中国古代计量史图鉴 — A concise history of ancient Chinese measures and weights), Hefei: Hefei gongyedaxue chubanshe (合肥工业大学出版社 — Hefei University Press), 2005, 190p., ISBN 7-81093-284-5; bilingual edition: Chinese-English
- ^ Ulrich Theobald, Hans Ulrich Vogel, et al., Chinese, Japanese And Western Research In Chinese Historical Metrology: A Classified Bibliography (1925-2002), Institute for Sinology and Korean Studies, University of Tübingen, Germany, September 2004
References [edit]
- Hill, John E. (2009) Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. John E. Hill. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4392-2134-1.
- Homer H. Dubs (1938): The History of the Former Han Dynasty by Pan Ku. Vol. One. Translator and editor: Homer H. Dubs. Baltimore. Waverly Press, Inc.
- Homer H. Dubs (1955): The History of the Former Han Dynasty by Pan Ku. Vol. Three. Translator and editor: Homer H. Dubs. Ithaca, New York. Spoken Languages Services, Inc.
- Hulsewé, (1961). "Han measures." A. F. P. Hulsewé, T'oung pao Archives, Vol. XLIX, Livre 3, pp. 206–207.
- Chinese Measurement Converter - Online Chinese / Metric / Imperial Converter
- Chinese/Metric/Imperial Measurement Converter
- Schinz, Alfred (1996). The magic square: cities in ancient China. Edition Axel Menges. p. 428. ISBN 3-930698-02-1.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
