Fen (land)
The fen (Chinese: 分; pinyin: fēn) in Mandarin, fan in Cantonese or hun in Taiwanese, is a traditional Chinese unit of measurement for land area. One fen equals 1/10th of a mu in China mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. [1] [2]
Conversions
[edit]In China mainland,
Year 1915 ~ 1929: 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 61.44 square meters = 73.48 square yards [3] Year 1930 ~ present: 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 66+2⁄3 square meters = 79.73 square yards. [4][2]
| Pinyin | Character | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| háo | 毫 | 1⁄1000 | 2⁄3 m2 | 7.18 sq ft | |
| lí | 釐 (T) or 厘 (S) | 1⁄100 | 6+2⁄3 m2 | 7.973 sq yd | |
| fēn | 市分 | 1⁄10 | 66+2⁄3 m2 | 79.73 sq yd | |
| mǔ | 畝 (T) or 亩 (S) | 1 | 666+2⁄3 m2 | 797.3 sq yd 0.1647 acre |
one mu (Chinese acre) =6000 square chi =60 square zhang =1/15 of a hectare |
| qǐng | 頃 (T) or 顷 (S) | 100 | 6+2⁄3 ha | 16.47 acre | Chinese hide |
In Hong Kong and Macau, 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 76.14 square meters = 91.06 square yards.
[5]
In Taiwan and Japan, 1 fen = 1⁄10 jia = 969.92 square meters = 10,440 square feets. [6]
Taiwan used to be ruled by Holand and then by Japan. Its measurement system was influenced by these two countries. And 1 fen has been set to be 1/10 of a Jia instead of a mu. [6]
For details, please see article Mu (land).
Idioms
[edit]- One mu and three fen of land, or 1.3 mu of land (simplified Chinese: 一亩三分地; traditional Chinese: 一畝三分地; pinyin: yī mǔ sān fēn dì) is a Chinese idiom that figuratively refers to someone's small personal domain or limited territory, often implying a narrow scope of influence or control.[7][8]
It is also the name of a Chinese website 1Point3Acres. [9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Britannica (2004-04-29). "mou: Chinese unit of measurement". Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ a b Language Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2020). 新华字典 （附录：计量单位简表）(Xinhua Dictionary (Appendix: Brief table of measurement units)) (in Chinese) (12th ed.). Beijing: The Commercial Press. pp. 695–697. ISBN 978-7-100-17093-2.
- ^ "權度法 [Quándù Fǎ]", 政府公報 [Zhèngfǔ Gōngbào, Government Gazette], vol. 957, Beijing: Office of the President, 7 January 1915, pp. 85–94[permanent dead link]. (in Chinese)
- ^ a b "The Weights and Measures Act (1929)". Legislative Yuan. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
- ^ Law No. 14/92/M ((in Chinese) 第14/92/M號法律; (in Portuguese) Lei n.o 14/92/M)
- ^ a b "Weights and Measures in Use in the ROC". Taiwan: Government Information Office. 2001.
- ^ Language Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2016). 现代汉语词典 (附錄：計量單位表) [Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Appendix: Measure units)] (in Chinese) (7th ed.). Beijing: Commercial Press. p. 1790. ISBN 978-7-100-12450-8.
- ^ Copilot, 2024
- ^ "一亩三分地 (1Point3Acres)".