Chinese units of measurement

Lore & Background

According to the Liji, the legendary Yellow Emperor created the first measurement units. The Xiao Erya and the Kongzi Jiayu state that length units were derived from the human body. The Records of the Grand Historian notes that these human body units caused inconsistency, and Yu the Great unified length measurements. Rulers with decimal units have been unearthed from Shang dynasty tombs. In the Zhou dynasty, measurement units became inconsistent from state to state. After the Warring States period, Qin Shi Huang unified China and later standardized measurement units. The Han dynasty documented these measurements systematically in the Book of Han.

Reader's Guide

Chinese units of measurement have evolved over millennia, from legendary origins to modern legal definitions. The system's persistence reflects its deep cultural roots and practical utility. The system's legacy is evident in everyday use of units like the jin, li, and mu, and in the naming of metric units with the prefix 'gong' (public) to distinguish them from traditional 'shi' (market) units. The coexistence of multiple systems—metric, imperial, and traditional—in Hong Kong and Macau illustrates the ongoing relevance of these ancient measures.

Did You Know?

• Chinese numerals have been decimal since the Shang, but several Chinese measures use hexadecimal (base-16).
• The names lí and fēn are used for small units of length, area, and mass, but refer to different magnitudes.