Dan (), or Daam in Cantonese, Tan in Japanese and Taiwanese, also called "Chinese hundredweight" or "picul", is a traditional Chinese unit for weight measurement in East Asia. It originated in China before being introduced to neighboring countries. Nowaday, the mass of 1 dan equals 100 jin or 50 kg in mainland China, 60 kg in Taiwan and Japan,Weights and Measures in Use in Taiwan from the Republic of China Yearbook – Taiwan 2001. and 60.478982 kg in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Dan is mostly used in the traditional markets. 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, No. 180, pages 311 to 312
China Mainland
On June 25, 1959, the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the Order on the Unified Measurement System, with minor amendment to the market system. " + Table of mass units in the People's Republic of China since 1959PinyinCharacter 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, No. 180, page 316Relative valueMetric valueImperial valueNoteslí50 mgcashfēn500 mgcandareenqián5 g0.1764 ozmace or Chinese dramliǎng50 g1.764 oztael or Chinese ouncejīn1500 g1.102 lbcatty or Chinese pound formerly 16 liang = 1 jindàn10050 kg110.2 lbpicul or Chinese hundredweight
Legally, 1 dan equals 100 jins, 50 kg, or 110.2 lb.
Taiwan The so-called Taiwan dan is actually the dan used throughout China during the Qing Dynasty. 1 Taiwan dan is 60 kg, equal to 100 Taiwan jin.
+ Table of units of mass in TaiwanUnitRelative value Metric US & ImperialNotesTaiwanese HokkienHakkaMandarinCharacterLegalDecimalExactApprox. Lî Lî Lí kg 37.5mg lb 0.5787grCash; Same as Japanese Rin Hun Fûn Fēn kg 375mg lb 5.787grCandareen; Same as Japanese Fun Chîⁿ Chhièn Qián kg 3.75g lb 2.116drMace; Same as Japanese Momme () Niú Liông Liǎng 1 kg 37.5g lb 21.16drTael Kin/Kun Kîn Jīn 16 kg 600g lb 1.323lbCatty; Same as Japanese Kin Tàⁿ Tâm Dàn 1600 60kg lb 132.3lbPicul; Same as Japanese Tan
Hong Kong and Macau Hong Kong law stipulates that one dan is equal to one hundred jin , which is 60.478982 kg.
+ Table of Chinese mass units in Hong Kong and MacauLaw No. 14/92/M ( ; Lei n.o 14/92/M)JyutpingCharacterEnglishPortugueseRelative valueRelation to the Traditional Chinese Units (Macau)Metric valueImperial valueNotes lei4 li, cash liz condorim fan1 fen, candareen (fan) condorim maz 0.2133 dr cin4 qian, mace (tsin) maz tael 2.1333 dr loeng2 liang, leung, tael tael cate 1.3333 oz 604.78982/16=37.79936375 gan1 jin, kan, catty cate 1 pico 604.78982 g 1.3333 lb Hong Kong and Macau share the definition. daam3 dan, tam, picul pico 100None 60.478982 kg 133.3333 lb Hong Kong and Macau share the definition.
Singapore and Malaysia have similar regulations as Hong Kong, as they are all former British colonies.
Japan In Japan, 1 dan, or tan in Japanese pronunciation, is equal to 60 kg.
+ Table of units of massIwata, Shigeo. "Weights and Measures in Japan"UnitKanMetricUS & ImperialRomanisedKanjiLegalDecimalExactApprox. Mō or kg 3.75mg lb 8.267μlb Rin kg 37.5mg lb 0.5787gr Fun kg 375mg lb 5.787gr MommeMonme kg 3.75g lb 2.116dr Hyakume kg 375g lb 13.23oz Kin kg 600g lb 1.323lb Kan(me) () 1 kg 3.75kg lb 8.267lb Maru 8 30kg lb 66.14lb Tan or 16 60kg lb 132.3lbNotes: Exact figures follow the 1891 Law of Weights & Measures and 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement. Metric values are exact. US & imperial approximations are rounded to four significant figures.
See also Chinese units of measurement Hong Kong units of measurement Taiwanese units of measurement Japanese units of measurement
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, reprinted by the Louisiana State University Press at Baton Rouge in 1991.
External links 中國度量衡#衡 市制 擔 英擔 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/公擔#Chinese 公擔