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Chinese units converter
市制 shìzhì · jin, liang, mu, li
Markets in China price fruit, meat and tea per jīn, menus count dumplings by the liǎng, and farmland is measured in mǔ. Convert them to kilograms, pounds, metres and acres.
Convert units
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The answer
In mainland China 1 jīn (斤) is exactly 500 grams, about 1.1 pounds, and 1 liǎng (两) is 50 g. Market prices are usually quoted per jīn, so double them for the price per kilogram. Hong Kong and Taiwan use a heavier catty of about 605 g and 600 g. A mǔ (亩) of land is 666⅔ m², 1/15 of a hectare.
Where you will meet Chinese units
China uses the metric system officially, but the traditional “market” units (市制) survive in daily life. Their sizes were tied to metric round numbers in 1959, which is why a jīn is exactly half a kilogram on the mainland.
At markets and fruit stalls, prices on handwritten signs are almost always per jīn (元/斤). Dumpling shops and noodle bars sell by the liǎng: 二两 is 100 g. Land is measured in mǔ, and distances in old poems and place names use the lǐ.
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan kept older, heavier sizes: a catty (斤) of 604.79 g in Hong Kong and 600 g in Taiwan, each split into 16 taels. Choose the region in the converter.
Questions readers ask
How many kilograms is a jin?
In mainland China, 1 jīn (斤, also called 市斤) is exactly 0.5 kg, about 1.1 lb. The value was fixed by a State Council order in 1959. In Hong Kong a catty is 604.79 g and in Taiwan 600 g.
What does ¥10 per jin mean in kilograms?
A price per jīn is half the price per kilogram: ¥10 per jīn is ¥20 per kg, or about ¥9.07 per pound. Fruit, vegetables, meat and tea at Chinese markets are usually priced per jīn.
How much is a liang (tael)?
On the mainland 1 liǎng (两) is 50 g, one tenth of a jīn; you will see it on dumpling and noodle menus (三两, 150 g). In Hong Kong a tael is 37.8 g and in Taiwan 37.5 g, one sixteenth of a catty; gold is still sold by the tael in Hong Kong.
How big is a mu of land?
1 mǔ (亩) is 666⅔ square metres, 1/15 of a hectare or about 0.165 acres. 15 mu make a hectare, and 100 mu make a qǐng (顷).
How long is a Chinese li?
A modern lǐ (里) is 500 metres, so 2 li make a kilometre. The Great Wall’s Chinese name, 万里长城, means “the long wall of ten thousand li”.
Is the Chinese chi the same as a foot?
Close. 1 chǐ (尺) is a third of a metre, 33.3 cm, against 30.5 cm for a foot. Ten cùn (寸) make a chǐ; 1 cùn is 3.33 cm.
Related tools
Sources
- Wikipedia, Chinese units of measurement (market units, 1959 decree) · accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia, Catty (mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan values) · accessed 28 Oct 2026
Update log. 28 October 2026 — published. Next review due 26 January 2027. Suggest a correction
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