Taiwanese units of measurement

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

Linear measure

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

• 1 zhuxn = 3.030 cm
• 1 chiøq (taichiøq) = 10 zhuxn = 30.3 cm
• 1 tng (taitiong) = 10 chiøq = 3.3 m
• 1 tailie (Taiwanese mile): kofzar cidlie = 360 po

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 pheeng 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 lee represented the area that could be farmed by one man with one head of oxen and one plow.

• 1 pheeng = 36 chiøq² = 3.306 m²
• 1 bor (畝) = 30 pheeng = 99.2 m²
• 1 kaq = 2,934 pheeng = 0.97 hectares (~2.4 acres)
• 1 lee = 5 kaq = 4.85 hectares
• (1 hwn = 9.8 bor = 0.1 kaq)

Volume

Volume (thefzeg)

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

Weight / mass

Weight (taxngliong)

• 1 lii (釐/厘) = 37.5 mg
• 1 hwn (分) = 10 buun = 375 mg
• 1 Taicvii (台錢) = 10 hwn = 3.75 g
• 1 Tainiuo (台兩) = 10 cvii = 37.5 g (1.323 oz.)
• 1 Taikyn (台斤) = 16 Tainiuo = 600 g (1.323 lbs.)
• 1 tvax (擔) = 100 Taikyn = 60 kg (132.3 lbs.)

Proverb

Cidkyn zablak niuo. Cidee pvoax kyn, cidee poeq niuo. 🔊

One catty, 16 tael. One half catty, one half tael.