Taiwanese units of measurement

Taioaan thoanthorng ee tan'ui hexthorng (Taiwanese units of measurement)

Linear measure

Linear measure (tngto) in Taiwan is largely metric (see kongchiøq) but some units derived from traditional Japanese units of measurement remain in use.

• 1-zhuxn = 3.030 cm
• 1-chiøq = 10-zhuxn = 30.3 cm
• 1-tng = 10-chiøq = 3.3 m
• 1-lie: kofzar cidlie = 360-po

These units can be called taizhuxn, taichiøq, taitiong, tailie, respectively.

Biexnzeg

Unlike with other measures, area (biexnzeg) continues to be almost exclusively measured with traditional rather than SI units. The principal unit for measuring the floorspace of an office or apartment, the pvii derives from the Japanese tsubo. Taiwanese units of land measurement derive from both traditional Dutch and Japanese measurements. The principal unit of land measure, the kaq, derives from the obsolete Dutch unit of measure morgen, which was introduced in Taiwan's era of Dutch colonization; or from the Dutch word for "field", akker. The løee represented the area that could be farmed by one man with one head of oxen and one plow.

• 1 pvii = 36 chiøq² = 3.306 m²
• 1 bor (畝) = 30 pvii = 99.2 m²
• 1 kaq = 2934 pvii = 0.97 hectares (~2.4 acres)
• 1-tviw løee = 5 kaq = 4.85 hectares
• (1 hwn = 9.8 bor = 0.1 kaq)

Volume

Volume (thefzeg)

• ciøh (石 ~100 L) / taiciøh
  • (metric: 1 ciøh = 10 tao)
• tao (斗 ~10 L) / taitao
  • 1 tao = 10 cyn
• cyn (升 ~litre (L)) / taicyn
  • 1 cyn = 10 kab (合 ~0.1 L)

Weight or mass

Weight (taxngliong):

• 1 lii = 37.5 mg
• 1 hwn = 10 buun = 375 mg
• 1 cvii = 10 hwn = 3.75 g
• 1 niuo = 10 cvii = 37.5 g (1.323 oz.)
• 1 kyn = 16 niuo = 600 g (1.323 lbs.)
• 1 tvax (擔) = 100 kyn = 60 kg (132.3 lbs.)

Proverb

Cidkyn zablak niuo. Pvoax kyn pøeq niuo.

One catty, 16 tael. One half catty, eight tael.

six of one, half a dozen of the other