Английская Википедия:Chi (unit)
Шаблон:Infobox transliteration Шаблон:Infobox unit Шаблон:Infobox unit Шаблон:Infobox unit The chi (Tongyong Pinyin chih) is a traditional Chinese unit of length. Although it is often translated as the "Шаблон:Nowrap", its length was originally derived from the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the forefinger, and is similar to the ancient span. It first appeared during China's Shang dynasty approximately 3,000 years ago and has since been adopted by other East Asian cultures such as Japan (shaku), Korea (ja/cheok), and Vietnam (thước). Its present value is standardized at around Шаблон:Convert, although the exact standards vary among the mainland of the People's Republic of China, its special administrative region of Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
In its ancient and modern forms, the chi is divided into 10 smaller units known as cun (the "Chinese inch"). 10 chi are equal to 1 zhàng.[1]
Modern values
In the People's Republic of China, chi has been defined since 1984 as exactly 1/3 of a metre, i.e., Шаблон:Cvt . However, in the Hong Kong SAR the corresponding unit, pronounced chek in Cantonese, is defined as exactly Шаблон:Cvt or 1 7/32 ft.[2] The two units are sometimes referred to in English as "Chinese foot" and "Hong Kong foot".
In Taiwan, chi is the same as the Japanese shaku, i.e., Шаблон:ConvertШаблон:Citation needed.
Historical values
The study of ancient rulers and other artifacts whose size in the contemporary chi was known allowed modern researchers to surmise that during the 2nd century BC to 3rd century AD the (Qin dynasty to Han dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period), the value of the chi varied between Шаблон:Cvt.[3] Even earlier, during the Warring States era, the value of chi was essentially the same.[4]
It is thought that the ancient Chinese astronomers also used chi as an angular unit; modern analysis of historical records indicates that it may have been equal to one degree.[5]
In the 19th century, the value of the chi, depending on the part of the country and the application, varied between Шаблон:Cvt. According to an 1864 British report, in most of China the chi used by engineers in public works was equal to Шаблон:Convert, the surveyors' chi was Шаблон:Convert, while the value generally used for measuring distances was Шаблон:Convert. In Guangzhou, however, the chi used for local trade varied from Шаблон:Convert – i.e., very close to the modern chek. The value fixed by a Sino-British treaty for the purposes of customs duties in Hong Kong was Шаблон:Convert.[6]
Usage in Chinese language
Due to its long history and its widespread usage, chi (along with cun) has also seen metaphorical usages in the Chinese language. For example, chi cun (Шаблон:Zh), a word made up of the units chi and cun, refers to the dimensions of an object, while the idiom "dé cùn jìn chǐ" (Шаблон:Zh) means "extremely greedy".
In informal use in China, chi is also sometimes used to refer to the United States customary foot or British imperial foot.
References
External links
- ↑ Shuowen Jiezi (説文解字）, "尺，所以指尺䂓榘事也。" East Asian usually makes spanning with his/her thumb and forefinger, instead of pinkie.
- ↑ Cap. 68A WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDER ─ SCHEDULE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES CONVERSION TABLE (Hong Kong e-Legislation)
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Citation
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite journal
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
