Directory_and_Chronicle_1845 — Page 702

65

WEIGHTS IN USE AMONG THE CHINESE.

In China, most unmanufactured articles are sold by weight, not ex- cepting liquids, wood, silk, cloth, grain, and live stook. Grain is however retailed by measure. The minor decimal weights are used in weighing bullion, pearls, precious stones, valuable drugs, &c. There are three instruments for weighing, viz., the balances, steel- yards, and money scales. Balances are used for weighing large suins of money; standard weights are furnished by the Board of Re- venue at Peking, from 100 taels down to one cash, made of brass.. The steelyard is made of wood, marked off into catties, mace, &o.; the largest of them will weigh two or three peculs; it is called dotchin by foreigners, a word corrupted from tok-ching, to weigh. The counterpoise is usually a piece of stone, and so common is its use, that no one goes to market without carrying a dutchin. The money scales are merely a small ivory yard like the dutchin, used to weigh money, pearls and small things.

The chih (cubit, cevid, or Chinese foot) fixed by the Mathema- tical Board at Peking is 13.125 English inches; that used by trades- men at Canton varies from 14.025 to 14.81 inches; that employed by the engineers of public works is 12.7 inches, and that by which distance is usually measured is 12.1 nearly. At Canton, an English yard or ma is reckoned at 2 chih 4 tsun, whịch makes the English- foot equal to 8 tsun. 'The chip is reckoned in the new tariff at 14.1 English inches, which is about the average length of this measure in Canton; this rate makes the rháng to be 141 inches, or 344 yds.; the usual length of a chẳng in Canton, is a very little over 4 yds., though some of them are but a little over 11 feet. The foot-rule of“ tailors is called pái trien chib, and the shorter one of masons chau tung chih. The chúng varies according to the chih.

The weights known among the Chinese are as follows:

I kernet of millet (→) is one

10 skú

(一粒黍) 黍 shý:

or kernels make one A lui;

10 lui make one 銖 chu;

24 chú

纍

make one tail filij liáng :

16 taels make one catty F kin;

2 catties make one 31

100 catties make one pecultán (lit. a load);

-

yin ;

30 catties inake one 鈞 kian;

120 catties make one stone

shih.

The money weights are liang, tien, fan, li, or taels, mace, canda- Terns, and cash, decreasing in a decimal proportion ; the proper called cash is named tșien, because it originally weighed a mace.

coin