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Chinese units of measurement, known in Chinese as the ''shìzhì'' ("market system"), are the traditional
units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a mul ...
of the
Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...
. Although
Chinese numerals Chinese numerals are words and characters used to denote numbers in Chinese. Today, speakers of Chinese use three written numeral systems: the system of Arabic numerals used worldwide, and two indigenous systems. The more familiar indigenous s ...
have been decimal (base-10) since the
Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and f ...
, several Chinese measures use
hexadecimal In mathematics and computing, the hexadecimal (also base-16 or simply hex) numeral system is a positional numeral system that represents numbers using a radix (base) of 16. Unlike the decimal system representing numbers using 10 symbols, h ...
(base-16). Local applications have varied, but the Chinese dynasties usually proclaimed standard measurements and recorded their predecessor's systems in their histories. In the present day, the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...
maintains some customary units based upon the market units but standardized to round values in the
metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Intern ...
, for example the common ''jin'' or
catty The catty, kati or , pronounced as jin in Mandarin and gan in Cantonese, is a traditional Chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and sh ...
of exactly 500 g. The Chinese name for most metric units is based on that of the closest traditional unit; when confusion might arise, the word "market" (, ''shì'') is used to specify the traditional unit and "common" or "public" (, ''gōng'') is used for the metric value.
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
, like
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
, saw its traditional units standardized to
Japanese values Japanese values are cultural goals, beliefs and behaviors that are considered important in Japanese culture. Global perspective From a global perspective, Japanese culture scores higher on ''emancipative values'' (individual freedom and equalit ...
and their conversion to a metric basis, such as the Taiwanese '' ping'' of about 3.306m2 based on the square '' ken''. The Hong Kong SAR continues to use its traditional units, now legally defined based on a local equation with metric units. For instance, the Hong Kong catty is precisely . Note: The names ''lí'' ( or ) and ''fēn'' () for small units are the same for length, area, and mass; however, they refer to different kinds of measurements.


History

According to the ''
Liji The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Book ...
'', the legendary
Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch or by his Chinese name Huangdi (), is a deity ('' shen'') in Chinese religion, one of the legendary Chinese sovereigns and culture heroes included among the mytho-historical Three Sovereig ...
created the first measurement units. The '' Xiao Erya'' and the '' Kongzi Jiayu'' state that length units were derived from the human body. According to the ''
Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...
'', these human body units caused inconsistency, and
Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures promine ...
, another legendary figure, unified the length measurements.
Ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...
s with decimal units have been unearthed from
Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally suc ...
tombs. In the
Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...
, 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 The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
,
Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...
unified China, and later standardized measurement units. In the
Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
, these measurements were still being used, and were documented systematically in the
Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...
. 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 The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
that the traditional system was revised.


Republican Era

On 7 January 1915, the
Beiyang government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes Chinese postal romanization, spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China which sat in its capital Pek ...
promulgated a measurement law to use not only metric system as the standard but also a set of Chinese-style measurement based directly on the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
definitions ().. On 16 February 1929, the Nationalist government adopted and promulgated ''The Weights and Measures Act'' to adopt the
metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Intern ...
as the official standard and to limit the newer Chinese units of measurement () to private sales and trade in Article 11, effective on 1 January 1930. These newer "market" units are based on rounded metric numbers.


People's Republic of China

The
Government of the People's Republic of China The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mi ...
continued using the market system along with metric system, as decreed by the
State Council of the People's Republic of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...
on 25 June 1959, but 1
catty The catty, kati or , pronounced as jin in Mandarin and gan in Cantonese, is a traditional Chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and sh ...
being 500 grams, would become divided into 10 (new)
tael Tael (),"Tael" entry
at the province to province, while exempting Chinese prescription drugs from the conversion to prevent errors.1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of ChinaNo. 180
pages 311 to 312
On 27 February 1984, the State Council of the People's Republic of China decreed the market system to remain acceptable until 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 Metrication or metrification is the act or process of converting to the metric system of measurement. All over the world, countries have transitioned from local and traditional units of measurement to the metric system. This process began in F ...
until further investigation and study.Decree of the State Council Concerning the Use of Uniform Legal Measures in the Country


Hong Kong

In 1976 the
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
Metrication Ordinance allowed a gradual replacement of the system in favor of the International System of Units (SI) metric system. The Weights and Measures Ordinance defines the metric, Imperial, and Chinese units.Cap. 68 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE
/ref> As of 2012, all three systems are legal for trade and are in widespread use.


Macau

On 24 August 1992,
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
published ''Law No. 14/92/M'' to order that Chinese units of measurement similar to those used in Hong Kong,
Imperial units The imperial system of units, imperial system or imperial units (also known as British Imperial or Exchequer Standards of 1826) is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act 1824 and continued to be developed th ...
, and
United States customary units United States customary units form a system of Units of measurement, measurement units commonly used in the United States and Territories of the United States, U.S. territories since being standardized and adopted in 1832. The United States cust ...
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.''Law No. 14/92/M'' ( ;
Lei n.o 14/92/M


Ancient Chinese units


Length

Traditional units of length include the ''
chi Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese * ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter * Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon * Chi (surname) (池, pinyin: ''chí ...
'' (), ''bu'' (), and '' li'' (). 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''.


Modern Chinese units

All "metric values" given in the tables are exact unless otherwise specified by the approximation sign '~'. Certain units are also listed at List of Chinese classifiers → Measurement units.


Length


Chinese length units promulgated in 1915


Chinese length units effective in 1930


Metric length units

The Chinese word for
meter The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pr ...
is ''mǐ''; this can take the Chinese standard SI prefixes (for "kilo-", "centi-", etc.). A
kilometer The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres ( kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ...
, however, may also be called ''gōnglǐ'', i.e. a metric '' ''. In the engineering field, traditional units are rounded up to metric units. For example, the Chinese word (T) or (S) ''sī'' is used to express 0.01 mm.


Hong Kong and Macau length units

These correspond to the measures listed simply as "China" in ''The Measures, Weights, & Moneys of All Nations''


Area


Chinese area units promulgated in 1915


Chinese area units effective in 1930


Metric and other area units

Metric and other standard length units can be squared by the addition of the prefix ''píngfāng''. For example, a square kilometer is ''píngfāng gōnglǐ''.


Macau area units


Volume

These units are used to measure cereal grains, among other things. In imperial times, the physical standard for these was the
jialiang Jialiang () is an ancient Chinese device for measuring several volume standards. The term jialiang is mentioned in the '' Rites of Zhou''. The passage describes the construction of one that includes three measures, ''fu'' (釜), ''dou'' (豆), a ...
.


Chinese volume units promulgated in 1915


Chinese volume units effective in 1930


Metric volume units

In the case of volume, the market and metric ''shēng'' coincide, being equal to one litre as shown in the table. The Chinese standard SI prefixes (for "milli-", "centi-", etc.) may be added to this word ''shēng''. Units of volume can also be obtained from any standard unit of length using the prefix ''lìfāng'' ("cubic"), as in ''lìfāng mǐ'' for one cubic meter.


Macau volume units


Mass

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


Mass units in the Republic of China since 1930


Mass units in the People's Republic of China since 1959


Metric mass units

The Chinese word for
gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to ...
is ''kè''; this can take the Chinese standard SI prefixes (for "milli-", "deca-", and so on). A kilogram, however, is commonly called ''gōngjīn'', i.e. a metric '' jīn''.


Hong Kong and Macau mass units


Hong Kong troy units

These are used for trading precious metals such as gold and silver.


Time


Historiography

As there were hundreds of unofficial measures in use, the bibliography is quite vast. The editions of Wu Chenglou's 1937 ''History of Chinese Measurement'' were the usual standard up to the 1980s or so, but rely mostly on surviving literary accounts. Newer research has put more emphasis on archeological discoveries.
Qiu Guangming Qiu Guangming (丘光明, b. 1936) is a researcher best known for her works on the history of Chinese metrology. Qiu was born in Nanjing in 1936. In 1937, her parents fled the Japanese attack on the city, and resettled in Chongqing. Desiring to b ...
& Zhang Yanming's 2005 bilingual ''Concise History of Ancient Chinese Measures and Weights'' summarizes these findings. A relatively recent and comprehensive bibliography, organized by period studied, has been compiled in 2012 by Cao & al.;. for a shorter list, see Wilkinson's year 2000 ''Chinese History''..


See also

* Chinese numbers & classifiers *
Heavenly Stems The ten Heavenly Stems or Celestial Stems () are a Chinese system of ordinals that first appear during the Shang dynasty, c. 1250 BC, as the names of the ten days of the week. They were also used in Shang-period ritual as names for dead family mem ...
&
Earthly Branches The twelve Earthly Branches or Terrestrial Branches are a Chinese ordering system used throughout East Asia in various contexts, including its ancient dating system, astrological traditions, zodiac and ordinals. Origin This system was buil ...
* Units, Systems, &
History of measurement The earliest recorded systems of weights and measures originate in the 3rd or 4th millennium BC. Even the very earliest civilizations needed measurement for purposes of agriculture, construction and trade. Early standard units might only have ap ...
* Taiwanese &
Hong Kong units of measurement Hong Kong has three main systems of units of measurement in current use: * The Chinese units of measurement of the Qing Empire (no longer in widespread use in mainland China); * British Imperial units; and * The metric system. In 1976 the Ho ...
* Japanese,
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
, & Vietnamese units of measurement


References


Citations


Sources

* Hill, John E. (2015) ''Through the Jade Gate - China to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes 1st to 2nd Centuries CE''. Vol. I. John E. Hill. CreateSpace, Charleston, South Carolina. . * 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
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese units of measurement Customary units of measurement Science and technology in China Chinese units in Hong Kong Systems of units Units of measurement by country Standards of the People's Republic of China