Directory_and_Chronicle_1931 — Page 604

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.