CHINESE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
WEIGHTS
da
1 liang
(tael)
=
1.333 oz. avoir., or 37.78 grammes
16 liang
(tael) make 1 kin
(catty) =
1.333 lbs. avoir., or 604-53 grammes
100 kin
斤
(catty) make 1 tan
擔(picul)
— 133.333 lbs. avoir., or 60-453 kilogrammes
120 kin
(catty) make 1 shik
(stone) = 160.000 lbs. avoir., or 72-544 kilogrammes
Four ounces equal three taels; one pound equals three quarters of a catty or twelve taels;
one hundredweight equals 84 catties; one ton equals 16 picul 80 catties.
MEASURE OF CAPACITY
1 koh 合(gill)
=
0.103 litre
10 koh
合 make I sheng 升 (pint) 10 sheng make 1 tou
=
1.031 litre
(peck) =
10:31 litres
MEASURE OF LENGTH
10 fun
10 tsun
10 chih
尺make 1 chang
The length of the Chang is fixed by the
5 chih
360 pú make 1 li
R make 1 pú 步
1 fun
make 1 tsun
分
寸
(inch)
make 1 chih (foot)
R =
(pole)
=
i
14 inch English
1.41 inch English
141 inches English
11 ft. 9 inches English
Treaty of Tientsin at 141 inches.
步(pace) 里
= about 5 feet English
about English Mile
10 li
里 make 1 tang-sun 汛塘 (league)
= about 31 English Miles
250 li
里 make 1 tu
度 (degree)
LAND MEASURE
1 chih 尺
=
13.126 inches
5 chih
make 1 pú 步
24 pú 步make 1 fun 芬
60 pú 步make 1 kioh 角
4 kioh 角 make 1 mow
100 mow make 1 king
30-323 square feet
80-862 square yards
=
202-156 square yards
= 26.73 square poles
= 16.7 acres
The Mow, which is the unit of measurement, is almost exactly one-sixth of an acre.
Weights and measures in China vary in every province and almost every district, and differ in the same districts for different kinds of goods. The words picul, catty, tael, mace and candareen are not Chinese.