Korean units of measurement: Difference between revisions
LlywelynII (talk | contribs) more on li |
LlywelynII (talk | contribs) formatting |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
As with [[Chinese units|Chinese]] and [[Japanese units]], it's conventional in English to refer to most Korean units of length by their nearest [[English units|English equivalents]]. In cases where confusion may arise, they are prefaced by "Korean". Because of the great difference between the li and the mile, however, it is very common to leave it untranslated. The biggest difference between the traditional Korean and Chinese units of length is that the Korean equivalent of the ''[[bu (unit)|bu]]'' uses a different character and its pre-[[Tang dynasty|Tang]] composition of six Korean feet rather than five. (The ''bu'' was usually treated as a synonym of this unit within Korea but sometimes distinguished as a length of 4{{nbsp}}feet.) In {{sc|ad}}{{nbsp}}369, during the reign of [[Geunchogo of Baekje|King Geunchogo]] of [[Baekje]], his realm seems to have used a foot of about 28.85{{nbsp}}cm.{{sfnp|Gwon|2010}} |
As with [[Chinese units|Chinese]] and [[Japanese units]], it's conventional in English to refer to most Korean units of length by their nearest [[English units|English equivalents]]. In cases where confusion may arise, they are prefaced by "Korean". Because of the great difference between the li and the mile, however, it is very common to leave it untranslated. The biggest difference between the traditional Korean and Chinese units of length is that the Korean equivalent of the ''[[bu (unit)|bu]]'' uses a different character and its pre-[[Tang dynasty|Tang]] composition of six Korean feet rather than five. (The ''bu'' was usually treated as a synonym of this unit within Korea but sometimes distinguished as a length of 4{{nbsp}}feet.) In {{sc|ad}}{{nbsp}}369, during the reign of [[Geunchogo of Baekje|King Geunchogo]] of [[Baekje]], his realm seems to have used a foot of about 28.85{{nbsp}}cm.{{sfnp|Gwon|2010}} |
||
The Korean li previously bore values around 434.16{{nbsp}}m (3rd century), 531.18{{nbsp}}m (6th-7th), 559.8{{nbsp}}m (7th-10th), and 552.96{{nbsp}}m (10th-14th) before being standardized as {{sfrac|10}}{{nbsp}}of the [[Japanese li]] of {{nowrap|3{{sfrac|51|55}} km}} in 1905.<ref=sly>{{harvp|Lord|2006|loc=[https://sizes.com/units/li.htm#Korea "Li"]}}.</ref>{{efn|Both the 1955<ref name=un/> and 1966 editions of the UN's report on national measurement systems report the Korean li as precisely equal to the Japanese li, but this seems to be in error.<ref name=sly/>}} |
The Korean li previously bore values around 434.16{{nbsp}}m (3rd century), 531.18{{nbsp}}m (6th-7th), 559.8{{nbsp}}m (7th-10th), and 552.96{{nbsp}}m (10th-14th) before being standardized as {{sfrac|10}}{{nbsp}}of the [[Japanese li]] of {{nowrap|3{{sfrac|51|55}} km}} in 1905.<ref name=sly>{{harvp|Lord|2006|loc=[https://sizes.com/units/li.htm#Korea "Li"]}}.</ref>{{efn|Both the 1955<ref name=un/> and 1966 editions of the UN's report on national measurement systems report the Korean li as precisely equal to the Japanese li, but this seems to be in error.<ref name=sly/>}} |
||
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%" |
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%" |
||
Revision as of 13:50, 3 June 2017
Korean units are the traditional units of measurement used by the people of the Korean peninsula. It was largely based on the Chinese system. Both North and South Korea currently employ the metric system, but some informal use continues, especially of the pyeong as a measure of residential and commercial floorspace.
History
Customary Korean units are a local adaption of the traditional Chinese system. The details of the system have varied over time and location in Korea's history.[1][2] During its long occupation, Japan imposed its measurement system on Korea.
The use of the standardized Joseon units[2] continues in South Korea despite strong discouragement from the government since 1983.[3] Publicity campaigns praising the metric system and condemning traditional units have included TV and radio ads, brochures, signs, and contests.[4] The government decided to criminalize further use of traditional units with a law effective July 2007[5] that permitted the Ministry of Commerce to fine users up to ₩1,000,000 (about $800).[4] The ban also included use of American units, such as describing the display size of televisions and computer monitors in terms of inches.[5] Knowledge of the fine remains low and some use continues in retail, manufacturing, and farming.[4] Even among those who adopt metric units, cheeky use of awkward metric fractions equivalent to round amounts of the former units is common, especially with regard to the very common pyeong of floorspace.[5] Another dodge has been to treat the traditional units as a nondescript 'unit', such as marketing an air conditioner appropriate for a 20-pyeong home as a "20-Type".[5]
Length
As with Chinese and Japanese units, it's conventional in English to refer to most Korean units of length by their nearest English equivalents. In cases where confusion may arise, they are prefaced by "Korean". Because of the great difference between the li and the mile, however, it is very common to leave it untranslated. The biggest difference between the traditional Korean and Chinese units of length is that the Korean equivalent of the bu uses a different character and its pre-Tang composition of six Korean feet rather than five. (The bu was usually treated as a synonym of this unit within Korea but sometimes distinguished as a length of 4 feet.) In AD 369, during the reign of King Geunchogo of Baekje, his realm seems to have used a foot of about 28.85 cm.[2]
The Korean li previously bore values around 434.16 m (3rd century), 531.18 m (6th-7th), 559.8 m (7th-10th), and 552.96 m (10th-14th) before being standardized as 1/10 of the Japanese li of 351/55 km in 1905.[6][a]
| English Gloss | Romanization | Hangul | Hanja | Chinese Equivalent | Korean Feet[4] | Metric[4][7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR | MR[4] | ||||||
| — [b] |
Bun | P'un | 분 | [[[wikt:分|分]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Fen | 1⁄100 | 0.3 cm |
| Korean Inch | Chi (Chon) |
Ch'i (Chon) |
치 (촌) |
[[[wikt:寸|寸]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Cun | 1⁄10 | 3 cm |
| Cha[7] Chok[7] Korean Foot |
Ja (Cheok) |
Cha (Ch'ŏk) |
자 (척) |
[[[wikt:尺|尺]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Chi | 1 | 30.3 cm |
| Kan[7] | Gan | Kan | 간 | [[[wikt:間|間]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Bu (步) | 6 | 1.818 m |
| Chung[7] | Jeong | Chŏng | 정 | [[[wikt:町|町]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | 360 | 109.091 m | |
| Korean Li[7] Korean Mile |
Ri | Ri | 리 | [[[wikt:里|里]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Li | 1296 | 392.7 m |
Area
Despite being notionally illegal, the pyeong remains particularly common when discussing residential and commercial floorspace[9][10][5] and tiles.[3]
| English Gloss | Romanization | Hangul | Hanja | Chinese Equivalent | Square Kan |
Metric[9][7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR[9] | MR | ||||||
| Pyeong[3][c] | Pyeong | P'yŏng | 평 | [[[wikt:坪|坪]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Ping | 1 | 3.306 m² |
| Myo[7] | Mu | Mu | 무 | [[[wikt:畝|畝]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Mu | 30 | 99.174 m² |
| Tan[7] | Dan | Tan | 단 | [[[wikt:段|段]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | 300 | 991.74 m² | |
| Chungbo[7] | Jeong | Chŏng | 정 | [[[wikt:町|町]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | 3000 | 9917.4 m² | |
Weight
| English Gloss | Romanization | Hangul | Hanja | Chinese Equivalent | Don[7] | Metric[11][7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR | MR[11] | ||||||
| — | Bun | P'un | 분 | [[[wikt:分|分]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Fen | 1⁄10 | 0.375 g |
| Don[7] Momme[7] |
Don (Chon) |
Ton (Chon) |
돈 (촌) |
[[[wikt:寸|寸]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Cun | 1 | 3.75 g |
| Yang[7] Korean Ounce |
Nyang (Ryang) |
Nyang (Ryang) |
냥 (량) |
[[[wikt:兩|兩]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Liang | 10 | 37.5 g |
| Keun[7] Korean Pound |
Geun | Kŭn | 근 | [[[wikt:斤|斤]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Catty or Jin | 160 | 600 g |
| Kwan[7] | Gwan | Kwan | 관 | [[[wikt:貫|貫]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | 1000 | 3.750 kg | |
Volume
In 3rd-century Gaya, the mal was reckoned at about 2 L, the size of the present-day doe.[2] In the early 17th century, the Joseon picul was reckoned as 15 or 20 mal, but similarly only comprised 89.464 or 119.285 L owing to the smaller size of the mal at that time.[12]
| English Gloss | Romanization | Hangul | Hanja | Chinese Equivalent | Doi[7] | Metric[13][7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR | MR[13] | ||||||
| Hop[7] | Hob | Hop | 홉 | [[[wikt:合|合]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Ge | 1⁄10 | 0.180 L |
| Doi[7] | Doe | Toe | 되 | [[[wikt:升|升]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Sheng | 1 | 1.804 L |
| Large Mal[7] | Mal | Mal | 말 | [[[wikt:斗|斗]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Dou | 10 | 18.039 L |
| Suk[7] Korean Picul |
Seom (Seok) |
Sŏm (Sŏk)[14] |
섬 (석) |
[[[wikt:石|石]]] Error: {{Lang}}: script: kore not supported for code: ko (help) | Picul or Dan | 100 | 180.391 L |
The United Nations also reported a "small mal" half the size of the standard mal.[7] In contexts involving volume, two cubic forms of "pyeong" were also formerly used. The pyeong of gravel was a cubic gan (about 6.01 m³);[3] the pyeong of firewood was ⅓ as much (about 2.0035 m³).[3]
See also
Notes
- ^ Both the 1955[7] and 1966 editions of the UN's report on national measurement systems report the Korean li as precisely equal to the Japanese li, but this seems to be in error.[6]
- ^ Former romanizations of the bun include Bernadou's poun, which however he confuses with the chi.[8]
- ^ Other romanizations of the pyeong include pyong[3][5] and pyung.[7] It's abbreviated py in contexts employing Latin script.[3]
References
Citations
- ^ Fessley (2009), p. 1.
- ^ a b c d Gwon (2010).
- ^ a b c d e f g Lord, John (20 January 2009), "What is a pyong?", Sizes, Santa Monica
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link). - ^ a b c d e f Fessley (2009), p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pyeong, and Old Habits Dying Hard", Ask a Korean!, 21 July 2012.
- ^ a b Lord (2006), "Li".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z UN (1955), III-59.
- ^ Bernadou (1890).
- ^ a b c Fessley (2009), p. 5.
- ^ Zatko (2011), p. 204.
- ^ a b Fessley (2009), p. 7.
- ^ Kim, p. 337.
- ^ a b Fessley (2009), p. 9.
- ^ Chung (2017), p. 198.
Bibliography
- World Weights and Measures: Handbook for Statisticians, ST/STAT/SER. M/21, UN Publication No. 1955.XVII.2, New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations, 1955.
- Bernadou, John Baptiste (1890), "Korea and the Koreans", The National Geographic Magazine, vol. Vol. II
{{citation}}:|volume=has extra text (help). - Chung, Chai-sik (2017), The Korean Tradition of Religion, Society, and Ethics, Routledge Advances in Korean Studies, Abingdon: Routledge.
- Fessley, Susanna (2009), "Weights and Measures in East Asian Studies" (PDF), Albany: State University of New York.
- Gwon, Yeongjeon (9 May 2010), "백제 근초고왕 때 1척은 25㎝, 1말은 2ℓ", Yonhap News, Seoul: Yonhap News Agency. Template:Ko icon
- Kim, Sun Joo (2010), "Glossary", The Northern Region of Korea: History, Identity, and Culture, Seattle: University of Washington Press, pp. 327–339.
- Zatko, Martin (2011), "Glossary", The Rough Guide to Seoul, Penguin.