The zhang ( zh, c= ) is a customary
Chinese unit of length equal to 10
chi (Chinese feet).
Its value varied over time and place with different values of the chi, although it was occasionally standardized. In 1915, the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
set it equal to about 3.2
meter
The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
s or 3.50
yards. In 1930, this was revised to an exact value of 3⅓
meter
The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
s (about 3.645yd).
It is not commonly used in
mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
today but appears in
traditional Chinese architecture, where it was commonly used to measure
bays.
In
Japanese units of measurement, the is equivalent to ten
''shaku'', or 3.03 meters.
See also
*
Chinese units of measurement
Chinese units of measurement, known in Chinese as the ''shìzhì'' ("market system"), are the traditional units of measurement of the Han Chinese. Although Chinese numerals have been decimal (base-10) since the Shang dynasty, Shang, several Chine ...
Customary units of measurement
Units of length
Standards of the People's Republic of China
References
{{measurement-stub