Chinese units of measurement - wikipedia Chinese units of measurement Chinese units of measurement A traditional Chinese scale Chinese 市 制 Literal meaning market system Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin shìzhì Wade -- Giles shih - chih This article concerns Chinese units of measurement as generally used in mainland China. For local modifications of it, see Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Singaporean 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, several Chinese measures use hexadecimal ( 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 maintains some customary units based upon the market units but standardized to round values in the metric system, for example the common jin or catty 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 '' ( 市, shì ) is used to specify the traditional unit and `` common '' or `` public '' ( 公, gōng ) is used for the metric value. Taiwan, like Korea, saw its traditional units standardized to Japanese values and their conversion to a metric basis, such as the Taiwanese ping of about 3.306 m2 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 604.78982 g. Note : The names lí ( 厘 ) and fēn ( 分 ) for small units are the same for length, area, and mass ; however, they refer to different kinds of measurements. Contents 1 History 1.1 Republican Era 1.2 People 's Republic of China 1.3 Hong Kong 1.4 Macau 2 Ancient Chinese units 2.1 Length 3 Modern Chinese units 3.1 Length 3.1. 1 Chinese length units promulgated in 1915 3.1. 2 Chinese length units effective in 1930 3.1. 3 Metric length units 3.1. 4 Hong Kong and Macau length units 3.2 Area 3.2. 1 Chinese area units promulgated in 1915 3.2. 2 Chinese area units effective in 1930 3.2. 3 Metric and other area units 3.2. 4 Macau area units 3.3 Volume 3.3. 1 Chinese volume units promulgated in 1915 3.3. 2 Chinese volume units effective in 1930 3.3. 3 Metric volume units 3.3. 4 Macau volume units 3.4 Mass 3.4. 1 Chinese mass units promulgated in 1915 3.4. 2 Mass units in the Republic of China since 1930 3.4. 3 Mass units in the People 's Republic of China since 1959 3.4. 4 Metric mass units 3.4. 5 Hong Kong and Macau mass units 3.4. 6 Hong Kong troy units 3.5 Time 4 Historiography 5 See also 6 References 6.1 Citations 6.2 Sources History Bronze ruler from the Han Dynasty ( 206 BCE to CE 220 ) ; excavated in Zichang County ; Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an History of science and technology in China Inventions Four Great Inventions Discoveries By subject Mathematics Astronomy Calendar Units of measurement Cartography Geography Printing Ceramics Metallurgy Coinage Chinese Alchemy Traditional medicine herbology Agriculture Sericulture Silk industry Architecture Classic gardens Bridges Transport Navigation Military Navy By era Han Tang Song People 's Republic Agriculture 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. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, these human body units caused inconsistency, and Yu the Great, another legendary figure, unified the length measurements. Rulers with decimal units have been unearthed from Shang Dynasty tombs. In the Zhou Dynasty, 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, Qin Shi Huang unified China, and later standardized measurement units. In the Han Dynasty, these measurements were still being used, and were documented systematically in the Book of Han. 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 that the traditional system was revised. Republican era See also : Taiwanese units of measurement On 7 January 1915, the Beiyang Government promulgated a measurement law to use not only metric system as the standard but also a set of Chinese - style measurement. On 16 February 1929, the Nationalist Government adopted and promulgated The Weights and Measures Act to adopt the metric system as the official standard and to limit the newer Chinese units of measurement ( Chinese : 市 用 制 ; pinyin : shìyòngzhì ; literally : `` market - use system '' ) to private sales and trade in Article 11, effective on 1 January 1930. People 's Republic of China The Government of the People 's Republic of China continued using the market system along with metric system, as decreed by the State Council of the People 's Republic of China on 25 June 1959, but 1 catty being 500 grams, would become divided into 10 ( new ) taels, instead of 16 ( old ) taels, to be converted from province to province, while exempting Chinese prescription drugs from the conversion to prevent errors. On 27 February 1984, the State Council of the People 's Republic of China decreed the market system to remain acceptable till 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 until further investigation and study. Hong Kong Main article : Hong Kong units of measurement In 1976 the Hong Kong 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. As of 2012, all three systems are legal for trade and are in widespread use. Macau On 24 August 1992, Macau published Law No. 14 / 92 / M to order that Chinese units of measurement similar to those used in Hong Kong, Imperial units, and United States customary units 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. Ancient Chinese units Length Gilded Bronze Ruler - 1 chi = 231 mm. Western Han ( 206 BCE -- 8 CE ). Hanzhong City Traditional units of length include the chi ( 尺 ), bu ( 步 ), and li ( 里 ). 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. Length in metre dynasty chi bu li = 5 chi = 6 chi = 300 bu = 360 bu Shang 0.1675 1.0050 301.50 0.1690 1.0140 304.20 Zhou 0.1990 1.1940 358.20 Eastern Zhou 0.2200 1.3200 396.00 0.2270 1.3620 408.60 0.2310 1.3860 415.80 Qin 0.2310 1.3860 415.80 Han 0.2310 1.3860 415.80 415.80 600 CE 0.2550 1.5300 459.00 Tang 0.2465 1.2325 369.75 443.70 0.2955 1.4775 443.25 531.90 Song 0.2700 1.3500 405.00 486.00 Northern Song 0.3080 1.5400 462.00 554.40 Ming 0.3008 -- 0.3190 1.5040 -- 1.5950 451.20 -- 478.50 541.44 -- 574.20 Qing 0.3080 -- 0.3352 1.5400 -- 1.6760 462.00 -- 503.89 554.40 -- 603.46 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 Table of Chinese length units promulgated in 1915 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes háo 毫 ⁄ 32 μm 0.00126 in lí 釐 ( T ) or 厘 ( S ) ⁄ 0.32 mm 0.0126 in fēn 分 ⁄ 3.2 mm 0.126 in cùn 寸 ⁄ 32 mm 1.26 in Chinese inch chǐ 尺 0.32 m 12.6 in Chinese foot bù 步 5 1.6 m 5.2 ft Chinese pace zhàng 丈 10 3.2 m 3.50 yd yǐn 引 100 32 m 35.0 yd lǐ 里 1800 576 m 630 yd this li is not the small li above, which has a different character and tone Chinese length units effective in 1930 Table of Chinese length units effective in 1930 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes háo 毫 ⁄ 33 ⁄ μm 0.00131 in lí 釐 ( T ) or 厘 ( S ) ⁄ ⁄ mm 0.0131 in fēn 市 分 ⁄ 3 ⁄ mm 0.1312 in cùn 市 寸 ⁄ 3 ⁄ cm 1.312 in Chinese inch chǐ 市 尺 33 ⁄ cm 13.12 in Chinese foot zhàng 市 丈 10 3 ⁄ m 3.645 yd yǐn 引 100 33 ⁄ m 36.45 yd lǐ 市 里 1500 500 m 546.8 yd this li is not the small li above, which has a different character and tone Metric length units The Chinese word for metre is 米 mǐ ; this can take the Chinese standard SI prefixes ( for `` kilo - '', `` centi - '', etc. ). A kilometre, however, may also be called 公里 gōnglǐ, i.e. a metric lǐ. In the engineering field, traditional units are rounded up to metric units. For example, the Chinese word 丝 sī is used to express 0.01 mm. Table of Chinese length units in engineering Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes hū 忽 ⁄ 1 μm Authorized name : 微米 sī 丝 ⁄ 10 μm Authorized name : 忽 米 háo 毫 ⁄ 100 μm Authorized name : 丝 米 lí 釐 ( T ) or 厘 ( S ) ⁄ 1 mm Authorized name : 毫米 fēn 公分 ⁄ 10 mm Authorized name : 厘米 cùn 公 寸 ⁄ 100 mm Authorized name : 分 米 chǐ 公 尺 1 m Authorized name : 米 lǐ 公里 1000 1000 m this li is not the small li above, which has a different character and tone Hong Kong and Macau length units Table of Chinese length units in Hong Kong and Macau English Jyutping Character Portuguese Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes fan fan1 分 condorim ⁄ 3.71475 mm 0.1463 in tsun cyun3 寸 ponto ⁄ 3.71475 cm 1.463 in chek cek3 尺 côvado 37.1475 cm 1.219 ft Hong Kong and Macau foot Area Chinese area units promulgated in 1915 Table of Chinese area units promulgated in 1915 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes háo 毫 ⁄ 0.6144 m 0.7348 sq yd lí 釐 ( T ) or 厘 ( S ) ⁄ 6.144 m 7.348 sq yd fēn 分 ⁄ 61.44 m 73.48 sq yd 10 li mǔ 畝 ( T ) or 亩 ( S ) 614.4 m 734.82 sq yd 10 fen, or 60 square zhang qǐng 頃 ( T ) or 顷 ( S ) 100 6.144 ha 15.18 acre 100 mǔ Table of Chinese square units effective in 1915 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes fāng cùn 方寸 ⁄ 10.24 cm 1.587 sq in square cun fāng chǐ 方尺 0.1024 m 1.102 sq ft square chi fāng zhàng 方丈 100 10.24 m 110.2 sq ft square zhang Chinese area units effective in 1930 Table of Chinese area units effective in 1930 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes háo 毫 ⁄ ⁄ m 7.18 sq ft lí 釐 ( T ) or 厘 ( S ) ⁄ 6 ⁄ m 7.973 sq yd fēn 市 分 ⁄ 66 ⁄ m 79.73 sq yd 10 li mǔ 畝 ( T ) or 亩 ( S ) 666 ⁄ m 797.3 sq yd 0.1647 acre 10 fen 60 square zhang qǐng 頃 ( T ) or 顷 ( S ) 100 6 ⁄ ha 16.47 acre 10 shí or 100 mǔ Table of Chinese square units effective in 1930 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes fāng cùn 方寸 ⁄ 11 ⁄ cm 1.722 sq in square cun fāng chǐ 方尺 ⁄ m 172.2 sq in 1.196 sq ft square chi fāng zhàng 方丈 100 11 ⁄ m 119.6 sq ft 13.29 sq yd square zhang Metric and other area units Metric and other standard length units can be squared by the addition of the prefix 平方 píngfāng. For example, a square kilometre is 平方 公里 píngfāng gōnglǐ. Macau area units Table of Chinese area units in Macau Jyutping Character Portuguese Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes cek3 尺 côvado ⁄ 0.1269 m 1.366 sq ft pou3 鋪 ⁄ 3.1725 m 34.15 sq ft 3.794 sq yd zoeng6 丈 braça ⁄ 12.69 m 136.6 sq ft 15.18 sq yd fan1 分 condorim ⁄ 76.14 m 91.06 sq yd mau5 畝 ( T ) or 亩 ( S ) maz 761.4 m 910.6 sq yd Volume These units are used to measure cereal grains, among other things. In imperial times, the physical standard for these was the jialiang. Chinese volume units promulgated in 1915 Table of Chinese volume units effective in 1915 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value US value Imperial value Notes sháo 勺 ⁄ 10.354688 ml 0.3501 fl oz 0.3644 fl oz gě 合 ⁄ 103.54688 ml 3.501 fl oz 3.644 fl oz shēng 升 1.0354688 l 2.188 pt 1.822 pt dǒu 斗 10 10.354688 l 2.735 gal 2.278 gal hú 斛 50 51.77344 l 13.68 gal 11.39 gal dàn 石 100 103.54688 l 27.35 gal 22.78 gal Chinese volume units effective in 1930 Table of Chinese volume units effective in 1930 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value US value Imperial value Notes cuō 撮 ⁄ 1 ml 0.0338 fl oz 0.0352 fl oz sháo 勺 ⁄ 10 ml 0.3381 fl oz 0.3520 fl oz gě 合 ⁄ 100 ml 3.381 fl oz 3.520 fl oz shēng 市 升 1 l 2.113 pt 1.760 pt dǒu 市 斗 10 10 l 21.13 pt 2.64 gal 17.60 pt 2.20 gal dàn 市 石 100 100 l 26.41 gal 22.0 gal 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 立方 lìfāng ( `` cubic '' ), as in 立方 米 lìfāng mǐ for a cubic metre. Macau volume units Table of Chinese volume units in Macau Jyutping Character Portuguese Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes cyut3 撮 1.031 l gam1 dak6 甘 特 10 10.31 l sek6 石 100 103.1 l 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 Table of Chinese mass units promulgated in 1915 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes háo 毫 ⁄ 3.7301 mg 0.0001316 oz lí 釐 ⁄ 37.301 mg 0.001316 oz cash fēn 分 ⁄ 373.01 mg 0.01316 oz candareen qián 錢 ⁄ 3.7301 g 0.1316 oz mace liǎng 兩 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 since 1930 Table of mass units in the Republic of China since 1930 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes sī 絲 ⁄ 312.5 μg 0.00001102 oz háo 毫 ⁄ 3.125 mg 0.0001102 oz lí 市 釐 ⁄ 31.25 mg 0.001102 oz cash fēn 市 分 ⁄ 312.5 mg 0.01102 oz candareen qián 市 錢 ⁄ 3.125 g 0.1102 oz mace liǎng 市 兩 ⁄ 31.25 g 1.102 oz tael or Chinese ounce jīn 市 斤 500 g 1.102 lb catty or Chinese pound dàn 擔 / 担 100 50 kg 110.2 lb picul or Chinese hundredweight Mass units in the People 's Republic of China since 1959 Table of mass units in the People 's Republic of China since 1959 Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes lí 市 厘 ⁄ 50 mg 0.001764 oz cash fēn 市 分 ⁄ 500 mg 0.01764 oz candareen qián 市 钱 ⁄ 5 g 0.1764 oz mace liǎng 市 两 ⁄ 50 g 1.764 oz tael or Chinese ounce jīn 市 斤 500 g 1.102 lb catty or Chinese pound formerly 16 liang = 1 jin dàn 市 担 / 擔 100 50 kg 110.2 lb picul or Chinese hundredweight Metric mass units The Chinese word for gram is 克 kè ; this can take the Chinese standard SI prefixes ( for `` milli - '', `` deca - '', etc. ). A kilogram, however, is commonly called 公斤 gōngjīn, i.e. a metric jīn. Hong Kong and Macau mass units Table of Chinese mass units in Hong Kong and Macau English Jyutping Character Portuguese Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes lei4 厘 liz ⁄ 37.79931 mg 0.02133 dr Not defined in Hong Kong. Macanese definition may not be correct when dividing catty. candareen ( fan ) fan1 分 condorim ⁄ 377.9936375 mg 0.2133 dr Macanese definition of 377.9931 mg may not be correct when dividing catty. mace ( tsin ) cin4 錢 maz ⁄ 3.779936375 g 2.1333 dr Macanese definition of 3.779931 g may not be correct when dividing catty. tael ( leung ) loeng2 兩 tael ⁄ 37.79936375 g 1.3333 oz Macanese definition of 37.79931 g may not be correct when dividing catty. catty ( kan ) gan1 斤 cate 604.78982 g 1.3333 lb Hong Kong and Macau share the definition. picul ( tam ) daam3 担 / 擔 pico 100 60.478982 kg 133.3333 lb Hong Kong and Macau share the definition. Hong Kong troy units These are used for trading precious metals such as gold and silver. Table of mass ( Hong Kong troy ) units English Character Relative value Metric value Imperial value Notes troy candareen 金 衡 分 ⁄ 374.29 mg 0.096 drt troy mace 金 衡 錢 ⁄ 3.7429 g 0.96 drt troy tael 金 衡 兩 37.429 g 1.2 ozt Time See also : Chinese calendar, Dates in Chinese, and Chinese Traditional Time System Table of time units Pinyin Character Relative value Western value Notes tradition value modern value tradition value modern value miǎo 秒 144 milliseconds 1 second fēn 分 100 hǎo 60 miǎo 14.4 seconds 1 minute kè 刻 1 minor kè = 10 fēn 15 fēn 2.4 minutes 15 minutes kè was defined at ⁄, ⁄, or ⁄ day during the Liang dynasty, and established at ⁄ day after the Qing dynasty. 1 major kè = 60 fēn 14.4 minutes diǎn 点 100 fēn 60 fēn 24 minutes 1 hour shí 時 ( T ) 时 ( S ) 8 ⁄ kè 4 kè 2 hours 1 hour the xiǎoshí ( 小時 / 小时 ) is currently used to express `` hour '' in order to avoid the ambiguity ( pre-Qin ) 10 kè 2.4 hours rì / tiān 日 / 天 12 shí 24 shí 24 hours 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 & 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 & Earthly Branches Units, Systems, & History of measurement Taiwanese & Hong Kong units of measurement Japanese, Korean, & Vietnamese units of measurement References Citations ^ Jump up to : `` 權 度 法 ( Quándù Fǎ ) '', 政府 公報 ( Zhèngfǔ Gōngbào, Government Gazette ), No. 957, Beijing : Office of the President, 7 January 1915, pp. 85 -- 94. ( in Chinese ) Jump up ^ `` The Weights and Measures Act : Legislative History ''. Ministry of Justice ( Republic of China ). ^ Jump up to : `` The Weights and Measures Act ( 1929 ) ''. Legislative Yuan. Archived from the original on 2014 - 04 - 25. ^ Jump up to : ( in Chinese ) 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People 's Republic of China, No. 180, pages 311 to 312 Jump up ^ Decree of the State Council Concerning the Use of Uniform Legal Measures in the Country Archived 2015 - 04 - 09 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Yearbook HK. `` Yearbook. '' Metrication. Retrieved on 26 April 2007. ^ Jump up to : Cap. 68 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE ^ Jump up to : Law No. 14 / 92 / M ( ( in Chinese ) 第 14 / 92 / M 號 法律 ; ( in Portuguese ) Lei n. o 14 / 92 / M ) Jump up ^ Schinz, 1996 ^ Jump up to : Dubs ( 1938 ), pp. 276 - 280 ; ( 1955 ), p. 160, n. 7. ^ Jump up to : Hulsewé ( 1961 ), pp. 206 -- 207. Jump up ^ Hill ( 2015 ), `` About the Measurements '', pp. xxiii - xxiv. Jump up ^ ( in Chinese ) 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People 's Republic of China, No. 180, page 316 Jump up ^ Nachum Dershowitz, Edward M. Reingold, `` Calendrical calculations '', page 207 Jump up ^ 吳承洛 ( 1937 ), 《 中國 度量衡 史 》 ( Zhōngguó Dùliànghéng Shǐ ), 2nd ed. in 1957, 3rd ed. in 1993. ( in Chinese ) ^ Jump up to : Wilkinson, Endymion ( 2000 ), Chinese History : A Manual ( 2nd ed. ), Cambridge : Harvard University Asia Center, pp. 244 -- 245, ISBN 978 - 0 - 674 - 00249 - 4. Jump up ^ 丘 光明 ( 2005 ), 张 延明, ed., 《 中国 古代 计量 史 图鉴 》 ( Zhōngguó Gǔdài Jìliàng Shǐ Tújiàn ), Hefei : Hefei University Press, ISBN 7 - 81093 - 284 - 5. ( in Chinese ) & ( in English ) Jump up ^ Cao Jin ; et al. ( 2012 ), Chinese, Japanese and Western Research in Chinese Historical Metrology : A Classified Bibliography ( 1925 - 2012 ), Tübingen : Institute for Chinese and Korean Studies at the University of Tübingen. 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. ISBN 978 - 1 - 5006 - 9670 - 2. 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 - Online Chinese / Metric / Imperial Converter Chinese / Metric / Imperial Measurement Converter Schinz, Alfred ( 1996 ). The magic square : cities in ancient China. Edition Axel Menges. p. 428. ISBN 3 - 930698 - 02 - 1. Systems of measurement Current General International System of Units ( SI ) UK imperial system US customary units Myanmar Indian Specific Apothecaries ' Avoirdupois Troy Astronomical Electrical Temperature Natural atomic geometrised Gaussian Lorentz -- Heaviside Planck quantum chromodynamical Stoney Background Metric Overview Introduction Outline History Metrication UK / US Overview Comparison Foot -- pound -- second ( FPS ) Historic Metric metre -- kilogram -- second ( MKS ) metre -- tonne -- second ( MTS ) centimetre -- gram -- second ( CGS ) gravitational quadrant -- eleventh - gram -- second ( QES ) ( hebdometre -- undecimogramme -- second ( HUS ) ) Europe Byzantine Cornish Cypriot Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French ( Trad. Mesures usuelles ) German Greek Hungary Icelandic Irish Scottish Italian Latvia Luxembourgian Maltese Norwegian Ottoman Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Spanish Swedish Switzerland Welsh Winchester measure Asia Afghan Cambodian Chinese Hindu Hong Kong India Indonesian Japanese Korean Mongolian Omani Philippine Pegu Singaporean Sri Lankan Syrian Taiwanese Tatar Thai Vietnamese Africa Algerian Ethiopian Egyptian Eritrean Guinean Libyan Malagasy Mauritian Moroccan Seychellois Somalian South African Tunisian Tanzanian North America Costa Rican Cuban Haitian Honduran Mexico Nicaraguan Puerto Rican South America Argentine Brazilian Chilean Colombian Paraguayan Peruvian Uruguayan Venezuelan Ancient Arabic Biblical and Talmudic Egyptian Greek Hindu Indian Mesopotamian Persian Roman List articles Humorous ( FFF system ) Obsolete Unusual Other N - body Modulor Science and technology in China Architecture Astronomy Automotive industry Biotechnology Internet Software Space program Logic Mathematics Media Mining Nuclear power Railways Supercomputing Telecommunications Cyberwarfare History Inventions Discoveries History of measurement systems Calendar History of metallurgy Ancient coinage Printing Early cartography Maritime history Military history Education Academic grading Higher education Research institutes Science museums People Biologists Chemists Engineers Inventors Mathematicians Nobel laureates Physicians Physicists Science writers Institutes and programs 863 Program Research institutes Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese Academy of Engineering Chinese Academy of Social Sciences National Natural Science Foundation of China Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_units_of_measurement&oldid=806257021 '' Categories : Customary units of measurement Science and technology in China Chinese units in Hong Kong Systems of units Units of measurement by country Hidden categories : Articles with Chinese - language external links Webarchive template wayback links Articles containing Chinese - language text Articles with Portuguese - language external links Talk Navigation Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Français Norsk Português 吴语 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 20 October 2017, at 19 : 49. 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Question: who introduced a standardized system of weights and measures in china
Answer: the legendary Yellow Emperor