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Jin (mass)
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| Jin | |
|---|---|
| Unit system | Chinese |
| Unit of | Mass |
| Symbol | 斤 |
| Conversions | |
| 1 斤 in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| Mainland China | 0.5 kg |
| Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand | 0.6 kg |
| Vietnam | 0.6045 kg |
| Hong Kong | 0.60478982 kg |
| Malaysia | 0.60479 kg |
| Singapore | 0.6048 kg |
| Conversions (imperial) | |
| 1 imp 斤 in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore | 1+1/3 lb |
| Jin | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 斤 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese | cân | ||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 근 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 斤 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 斤 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | きん | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Malay name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Malay | kati | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manchu name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡤᡳᠩᡤᡝᠨ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Möllendorff | ginggen | ||||||||||||||||||
The jin (Chinese: 斤; pinyin: jīn)[a] or catty (from Malay kati) is a traditional Chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, notably for weighing food and other groceries. Related units include the picul (dan or shi), equal to 100 jin, and the tael (liang), which is 1⁄16 of a jin. The stone (also dan or shi) is a former unit used in Hong Kong equal to 120 jin, and a gwan (鈞) is 30 jin. The jin is still used in Southeast Asia as a unit of measurement in some contexts, especially by the significant Overseas Chinese populations across the region, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore.
The jin is traditionally equivalent to 1+1⁄3 pound avoirdupois, formalised as 604.78982 grams (g) in Hong Kong,[1] 604.5 g (historically) in Vietnam,[2] 604.79 g in Malaysia[3] and 604.8 g in Singapore.[4] In Taiwan,[5] Japan, Korea,[6] and Thailand, the unit is rounded to 600 g. In China, the jin is rounded to 500 g and called the market jin (市斤; shìjīn), to distinguish it from the kilogram (called the common jin; 公斤; gōngjīn), and is subdivided into 10 taels rather than 16.
History
[edit]In ancient China, the office of Sima (司馬) was in charge of military affairs. Because the management of military grain and fodder involved frequent weighing, mass units (such as jin and liang) were also called sima jin (司馬斤), sima liang, and so on. The measuring tools used were called sima scales (司馬秤). This is still true in Hong Kong. One sima jin is equal to sixteen sima liang, which is where the idiom "half a jin vs eight liang"[b][7][better source needed] comes from.[8][9]
| Dynasty | Mass in grams |
|---|---|
| Pre-Qin[10] | 250 |
| Qin | 253 |
| Western Han | 248 |
| Eastern Han, Three Kingdoms, Jin | 220 |
| Northern and Southern dynasties |
|
| Sui dynasty | 661 (large system), 220 (small system) |
| Tang dynasty | 661 |
| Song dynasty, Yuan dynasty | 633 |
| Ming dynasty, Qing dynasty | 590 |
The mass of the jin varies between different eras and regions, but its ratio to contemporaneous units is generally unchanged: one jin is equal to sixteen liang, or 1/120 of a dan. Starting from the late Qing dynasty, the jin was also written in English as catty or kan based on the Malay name for the unit.[11]
Before the Qing dynasty, various regions and industries in China had their own weight standards for jin and liang. During the Qing, unified weights and measures were implemented. One late-Qing jin was 596.816 g according to the Beiyang government, and equal to 16 liang.[12]
China
[edit]1915 measurement law
[edit]On 7 January 1915, the Beiyang government promulgated a measurement law to use the metric system as the standard but also a system based directly on Qing definitions (营造尺库平制),[12][13] with the liang as the base unit.
| Pinyin | Character | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 1⁄10000 | 3.7301 mg | 0.0001316 oz | |
| lí | 釐 | 1⁄1000 | 37.301 mg | 0.001316 oz | cash |
| fēn | 分 | 1⁄100 | 373.01 mg | 0.01316 oz | candareen |
| qián | 錢 | 1⁄10 | 3.7301 g | 0.1316 oz | mace or Chinese dram |
| liǎng | 兩 | 1 | 37.301 g | 1.316 oz | tael or Chinese ounce |
| jīn | 斤 | 16 | 596.816 g | 1.316 lb | catty or Chinese pound |
Mass units in the Republic of China (1930–1959)
[edit]| Market-unit system | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A traditional Chinese scale | |||||||||
| Chinese | 市制 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | market system | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 市用制 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | market-use system | ||||||||
| |||||||||
On 16 February 1929, the Nationalist government adopted and promulgated The Weights and Measures Act[14] to adopt the metric system and limit the updated Chinese units of measurement to private sales and trade, effective 1 January 1930. The updated market units are based on rounded metric numbers, and jin is the base unit.[15]
| Pinyin | Character | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sī | 絲 | 1⁄1600000 | 312.5 μg | 0.00001102 oz | |
| háo | 毫 | 1⁄160000 | 3.125 mg | 0.0001102 oz | |
| lí | 市釐 | 1⁄16000 | 31.25 mg | 0.001102 oz | cash |
| fēn | 市分 | 1⁄1600 | 312.5 mg | 0.01102 oz | candareen |
| qián | 市錢 | 1⁄160 | 3.125 g | 0.1102 oz | mace or Chinese dram |
| liǎng | 市兩 | 1⁄16 | 31.25 g | 1.102 oz | tael or Chinese ounce |
| jīn | 市斤 | 1 | 500 g | 1.102 lb | catty or Chinese pound |
| dàn | 擔 | 100 | 50 kg | 110.2 lb | picul or Chinese hundredweight |
Mass units since 1959
[edit]On June 25, 1959, the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the Order on the Unified Measurement System, retaining the market system, with the statement of "the market system originally stated that sixteen liang is equal to one jin. Due to the trouble of conversion, it should be changed to ten liang per jin."[16][17]
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lí | 市厘 | 1⁄10000 | 50 mg | 0.001764 oz | cash |
| fēn | 市分 | 1⁄1000 | 500 mg | 0.01764 oz | candareen |
| qián | 市錢 | 1⁄100 | 5 g | 0.1764 oz | mace or Chinese dram |
| liǎng | 市兩 | 1⁄10 | 50 g | 1.764 oz | tael or Chinese ounce |
| jīn | 市斤 | 1 | 500 g | 1.102 lb | catty or Chinese pound |
| dàn | 市擔 | 100 | 50 kg | 110.2 lb | picul or Chinese hundredweight |
Legally, 1 jin equals 500 grams, and 10 liang equals 1 jin (that is, 1 liang is 50 g). The traditional Chinese medicine measurement system was unchanged.[16][17]
Mass units in traditional Chinese medicine
[edit]Until 1979, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) generally kept the division of 16 liang to 1 (500-g) jin. In 1979, the State Council of China issued an order for the TCM trade to switch to metric units. The previously used qian was to be treated as exactly 3 g, with other units derived from the liang scaled accordingly.[18] Mass units in ancient TCM prescriptions should be interpreted using the metric (gram) conversions appropriate for the era, not the modern versions of these units.[19]
Taiwan
[edit]
The jin, or kin, in Taiwan is called the Taiwan jin or taijin (台斤). The taijin is equivalent to the Qing-era Chinese jin. In 1895 Taiwan was ceded to Japan, which implemented the metric system, but Taiwan continued to use the old weights and measures. Thus, after China stopped using the Qing system, it came to be known as the Taiwan system. 1 taijin is 600 grams, or 16 Taiwan liang, and 1 Taiwan liang is equal to 37.5 g.[20]
| Unit | Relative value | Metric | US & Imperial | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwanese Hokkien | Hakka | Mandarin | Character | Legal | Decimal | Exact | Approx. | ||
| Lî | Lî | Lí | 釐 | 1⁄1000 | 3/80,000 kg | 37.5 mg | 3750/45,359,237 lb | 0.5787 gr | Cash; same as Japanese rin |
| Hun | Fûn | Fēn | 分 | 1⁄100 | 3/8000 kg | 375 mg | 37,500/45,359,237 lb | 5.787 gr | Candareen; same as Japanese fun |
| Chîⁿ | Chhièn | Qián | 錢 | 1⁄10 | 3/800 kg | 3.75 g | 375,000/45,359,237 lb | 2.116 dr | Mace; same as Japanese momme (匁) |
| Niú | Liông | Liǎng | 兩 | 1 | 3/80 kg | 37.5 g | 3,750,000/45,359,237 lb | 21.16 dr | Tael |
| Kin or chin | Kîn | Jīn | 斤 | 16 | 3/5 kg | 600 g | 60,000,000/45,359,237 lb | 1.323 lb | Catty; same as Japanese kin |
| Tàⁿ | Tâm | Dàn | 擔 | 1600 | 60 kg | 6,000,000,000/45,359,237 lb | 132.3 lb | Picul; same as Japanese tan | |
Hong Kong and Macau
[edit]Hong Kong and Macau mass units
[edit]According to the original Hong Kong law, Article 22 of 1884, one jīn is 1+1⁄3 British pounds (that is, 3 jīn is equal to 4 pounds). Currently,[when?] Hong Kong law stipulates that one jīn is equal to one hundredth of a dan or sixteen liang, which is 0.604 789 82 kilograms[1] (0.604 789 82 kg divided by 4⁄3 is 0.453 592 65 kg, the 1878 definition of the British Avoirdupois pound).
| Jyutping | Character | English | Portuguese | Relative value | Relation to next largest Chinese unit (Macau) | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lei4 | 厘 | li, cash | liz | 1⁄16000 | 1⁄10 condorim | 37.79931 mg | 0.02133 dr | |
| fan1 | 分 | fen, candareen (fan) | condorim | 1⁄1600 | 1⁄10 maz | 377.9936375 mg | 0.2133 dr | |
| cin4 | 錢 | qian, mace (tsin) | maz | 1⁄160 | 1⁄10 tael | 3.779936375 g | 2.1333 dr | |
| loeng2 | 兩 | liang, leung, tael | tael | 1⁄16 | 1⁄16 cate | 37.79936375 g | 1.3333 oz | 604.78982 / 16 = 37.79936375 |
| gan1 | 斤 | jin, kan, catty | cate | 1 | 1⁄100 pico | 604.78982 g | 1.3333 lb | Hong Kong and Macau share the definition |
| daam3 | 擔 | dan, tam, picul | pico | 100 | None | 60.478982 kg | 133.3333 lb | Hong Kong and Macau share the definition |
Hong Kong troy units
[edit]These are used for trading precious metals such as gold and silver, defined around the British troy weight system.
| English name | Chinese name | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fen (candareen) troy | 金衡分 | 1⁄100 | 374.29 mg | 0.096 drt | |
| qian (mace) troy | 金衡錢 | 1⁄10 | 3.7429 g | 0.96 drt | |
| liang (tael) troy | 金衡兩 | 1 | 37.429 g | 1.2 ozt |
Malaysia and Singapore
[edit]Malaysia has the same regulations as it is a former British colony.[clarification needed] The rounding is slightly different, as 0.604 79 kg. Similarly, Singapore law stipulates that one jin, or catty, is also equal to 1 1⁄3 pounds, which is equal to sixteen liang (or taels) or 0.6048 kg.[4]
Japan
[edit]| Unit | Kanji | Metric | US & Imperial | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanised | Kanji | Legal | Decimal | Exact | Approx. | |||||||
| Mō | 毛 or 毫 | 1⁄1,000,000 | 3/800,000 kg | 3.75 mg | 375/45,359,237 lb | 8.267 μlb | ||||||
| Rin | 厘 | 1⁄100,000 | 3/80,000 kg | 37.5 mg | 3750/45,359,237 lb | 0.5787 gr | ||||||
| Fun | 分 | 1⁄10,000 | 3/8000 kg | 375 mg | 37,500/45,359,237 lb | 5.787 gr | ||||||
| Momme Monme |
匁 | 1⁄1000 | 3/800 kg | 3.75 g | 375,000/45,359,237 lb | 2.116 dr | ||||||
| Hyakume | 百目 | 1⁄10 | 3/8 kg | 375 g | 37,500,000/45,359,237 lb | 13.23 oz | ||||||
| Kin | 斤 | 4⁄25 | 3/5 kg | 600 g | 60,000,000/45,359,237 lb | 1.323 lb | ||||||
| Kan(me) | 貫(目) | 1 | 15/4 kg | 3.75 kg | 375,000,000/45,359,237 lb | 8.267 lb | ||||||
| Maru | 丸 | 8 | 30 kg | 3,000,000,000/45,359,237 lb | 66.14 lb | |||||||
| Tan | 担 or 擔 | 16 | 60 kg | 6,000,000,000/45,359,237 lb | 132.3 lb | |||||||
Notes:
| ||||||||||||
In Japan, 1 jin, or kin in Japanese, is equal to 600 grams, but is rarely used. An exception is the jin used for slices of bread. According to the fair competition regulations of the Japanese Bread Fair Trade Council, a jin only needs to be more than 340 g.[25]
Korea
[edit]The base unit of Korean mass is the gwan.[26] At the time of Korea's metrication, however, the geun (or Korean pound) was in more common use. The gwan is usually considered equivalent to 600 g.[27] The nyang also sees some use among Korean traditional Chinese medicine vendors.[28]
| Korean romanization | Korean | English | Equivalents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR | MR | Other | Gwan[29] | Other names | Metric (customary) | ||
| Ho | Ho | 호(毫) | 1⁄1,000,000 | 3.75 mg (0.0579 gr) | |||
| Mo | Mo | 모(毛) | |||||
| Ri | Ri | 리(釐/厘) | 1⁄100,000 | 0.0375 g (0.00132 oz) | |||
| Pun | P'un | 푼 | 1⁄10,000 | 0.375 g (0.0132 oz) | |||
| Bun | Pun | 분(分) | |||||
| Don[30] | Ton | 돈 | 1⁄1,000 | Momme[29] | 3.75 g (0.132 oz)[29] | ||
| Nyang | Nyang | Ryang[31] Yang[29] | 냥(兩) | Korean ounce | 1⁄100 | Tael | 37.5 g (1.32 oz)[29] |
| Geun | Kŭn | Keun[29] Kon[32] | 근(斤) | Korean pound | 4⁄25 (meat),
1⁄10 (other) |
Jin, catty[32] | 600 g (21 oz) (meat),[29][33] 375 g (13.2 oz) (other) |
| Gwan | Kwan | 관(貫) | 1 | 3.75 kg (8.3 lb)[29][33] | |||
Vietnam
[edit]In Vietnam, the jin is called the cân ta (lit. 'our scale'), and is equal to 604.6 grams. The following table lists common units of mass in Vietnam in the early 20th century:[34]
| Name in Chữ Quốc ngữ | Hán/Nôm name | Traditional value in kg | Traditional equivalent | Modern value | Modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tấn | 擯 | 604.5 kg | 10 tạ | 1,000 kg | 10 tạ |
| quân[35] | 302.25 kg | 5 tạ | 500 kg | obsolete | |
| tạ | 榭 | 60.45 kg | 10 yến | 100 kg | 10 yến |
| bình[35] | 30.225 kg | 5 yến | 50 kg | obsolete | |
| yến | 6.045 kg | 10 cân | 10 kg | 10 cân | |
| cân | 斤 | 604.5 g | 16 lạng | 1 kg | 10 lạng |
| nén | 378 g | 10 lạng | |||
| lạng | 兩 | 37.8 g | 10 đồng | 100 g | |
| đồng or tiền | 錢 | 3.78 g | 10 phân | ||
| phân | 分 | 0.38 g | 10 ly | ||
| ly or li | 厘 | 37.8 mg | 10 hào | ||
| hào | 毫 | 3.8 mg | 10 ti | ||
| ti | 絲 | 0.4 mg | 10 hốt | ||
| hốt | 忽 | 0.04 mg | 10 vi | ||
| vi | 微 | 0.004 mg |
Notes:
Jin, pound and kilogram
[edit]The jin, pound and kilogram are all currently used in China. Their meanings and conversions in China are as follows:[37]
- 市斤 (Chinese jin; lit. 'market jin'): Or simply called jin, also called Chinese pound. In the market system (市制) in use since 1930, 1 jin equals 500 g, equivalent to 1.1023 pounds.[37]
- 公斤 (kilogram, lit. 'common jin'): A metric unit, equivalent to 1000 g.[37]
- 磅 (pound): A British Imperial unit, about 453.6 g.
Society and culture
[edit]Etymology
[edit]The word catty comes from Malay kati, meaning 'the weight'. It has also been borrowed into English as caddy, meaning a container for storing tea.
Chinese idioms
[edit]Gallery
[edit]-
Fruit sold in catties in a market in Sanchong, New Taipei, Taiwan -
Tea priced by the catty in Dadaocheng, Taipei, Taiwan -
A spring scale in Hong Kong with conversions between the metric system (red), traditional Chinese units (green) and Imperial units (in blue)
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Weights and Measures Ordinance". Laws of Hong Kong.
- ^ "Vietnam, weights". Historical Vietnamese measurements of mass.
- ^ "Weights and Measures Act 1972". Laws of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Weights and Measures Act". Statutes of the Republic of Singapore.
- ^ Weights and Measures in Use in Taiwan Archived 2010-12-29 at the Wayback Machine from the Republic of China Yearbook – Taiwan 2001.
- ^ "Regulation on Approval and Notification of Herbal (crude) Medicinal Preparations, Etc". Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
- ^ "半斤八兩", Wiktionary, 27 October 2024
- ^ "司马 (Sima)" (in Chinese). 在线新华字典 (Xinhua Dictionary on Line).
- ^ 黄文照，张云然编 (Huang Wenzhao and Zhang Yuenran., ed. (2007). 中外计量换算手册[M] (Handbook of conversion between measurement units in China and abroad) (in Chinese). Beijing: Commercial Press.
- ^ "中国钱币大辞典" 编纂委 (Editorial Committee of the Chinese Coin Dictionary) (December 1995). 中国钱币大辞典·先秦篇 (Chinese Coin Dictionary: Pre-Qin Period). 中华书局 (Zhonghua Book Company). ISBN 9787101012415.
- ^ 莫文暢 (Mo Wenchang). 唐字音英語 (Chinese character pronunciation in English) (in Chinese). Event occurs at Early 20th century.
- ^ a b c "權度法 [Quándù Fǎ]", 政府公報 [Zhèngfǔ Gōngbào, Government Gazette], vol. 957, Beijing: Office of the President, 7 January 1915, pp. 85–94 (in Chinese)
- ^ the Statistical Office of the United Nations in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ed. (1955). World weights and measures; handbook for statisticians. United Nations. Document ST/STAT/ Ser. M/ ;21. p. 48.
- ^ "The Weights and Measures Act: Legislative History". Ministry of Justice (Republic of China).
- ^ a b "The Weights and Measures Act (1929)". Legislative Yuan. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b c "国务院关于统一我国计量制度的命令 (Order of the State Council on unifying the national measurement system, No. 180)" (PDF). State Council of China (in Chinese). 1959. pp. 311–312.
- ^ a b c "国务院关于统一我国计量制度的命令". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010.
- ^ Zheng, Ying; Chen, Ang; Liu, Haipeng. "以北京为例简述上世纪 70 年代中医处方用药计量单位改革情形" [Taking Beijing as an example, a brief description of the reform of TCM prescription measurement units in the 1970s] (PDF). weighment.com (in Chinese).
- ^ "古今中药计量换算". 中国药业官方网站.
- ^ Andrade, Tonio (2005). "Appendix A: Weights, Measures, and Exchange Rates". How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century. Columbia University Press.
- ^ "第14/92/M號法律 (Law No. 14/92/M)" (in Chinese). Government of Macau.
- ^ Cap. 68 Weights and Measures Ordinance
- ^ Iwata, Shigeo. "Weights and Measures in Japan"
- ^ *Nagase-Reimer, Keiko (2016), Copper in the Early Modern Sino-Japanese Trade, Monies, Markets, and Finance in East Asia, 1600–1900, Vol. VII, Leiden: Brill, p. xiii, ISBN 9789004304512
- ^ 日本パン公正取引協議会：包装食パンの斤表示の義務化 (Japan Bread Fair Trade Council: Labeling of loaf size on packaged bread mandatory). www.pan-koutorikyo.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Kim, Jun Hee (March 2007), "Taking Measure", Invest Korea Journal, vol. 25, Seoul: Korea Trade–Investment Promotion Agency
- ^ "S. Korea Determined to Introduce Metric System", The Hankyoreh, Seoul: The Hankyoreh Media Co, 22 July 2007
- ^ B., Paul (21 February 2011), "Measurements", An Acorn in the Dog's Food, LiveJournal
- ^ a b c d e f g h World Weights and Measures: Handbook for Statisticians, ST/STAT/SER. M/21, UN Publication No. 1955.XVII.2, New York, NY: Statistical Office of the United Nations, 1955, p. III-59.
- ^ Fessley, Susanna (2009), "Weights and Measures in East Asian Studies" (PDF), Albany: State University of New York, p. 7
- ^ Grayson, James Huntley (2001). Myths and Legends from Korea: An Annotated Compendium of Ancient and Modern Materials. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 219. ISBN 9780700712410.
- ^ a b Rowlett, Russ (2002). "How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement". Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina. p. K.
- ^ a b Fessley (2009), p. 7.
- ^ "Vietnam, units of mass". Sizes. Sizes, Inc. 28 December 2005.
- ^ a b Manuel de conversation française-annamite [French-Annamite conversation manual] (in French). Saigon: Imprimerie de la Mission. 1911. pp. 175–178.
- ^ "binh". Sizes. Sizes, Inc. 23 January 2004.
- ^ a b c Language Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2016). 现代汉语词典 (附錄：計量單位表) [Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Appendix: Measure units)] (in Chinese) (7th ed.). Beijing: Commercial Press. p. 1790. ISBN 978-7-100-12450-8.