Dan (mass)
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,
and 60.478982 kg in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Dan is mostly used in the traditional markets.
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. "| Pinyin | Character | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
| lí | 市厘 | 50 mg | cash | ||
| fēn | 市分 | 500 mg | candareen | ||
| qián | 市錢 | 5 g | 0.1764 oz | mace or Chinese dram | |
| liǎng | 市兩 | 50 g | 1.764 oz | tael or Chinese ounce | |
| jīn | 市斤 | 1 | 500 g | 1.102 lb | catty or Chinese pound formerly 16 liang = 1 jin |
| dàn | 市擔 | 100 | 50 kg | 110.2 lb | picul 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.Hong Kong and Macau
Hong Kong law stipulates that one dan is equal to one hundred jin, which is 60.478982 kg.| Jyutping | Character | English | Portuguese | Relative value | Relation to the Traditional Chinese Units | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
| lei4 | 厘 | li, cash | liz | condorim | ||||
| fan1 | 分 | fen, candareen | condorim | maz | 0.2133 dr | |||
| cin4 | 錢 | qian, mace | maz | tael | 2.1333 dr | |||
| loeng2 | 兩 | liang, leung, tael | tael | cate | 1.3333 oz | 604.78982/16=37.79936375 | ||
| gan1 | 斤 | jin, kan, catty | cate | 1 | pico | 604.78982 g | 1.3333 lb | Hong Kong and Macau share the definition. |
| daam3 | 擔 | dan, tam, picul | pico | 100 | None | 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.