Fen (land)
The fen 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.
Conversions
In China mainland,- 1915 ~ 1929: 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 61.44 square meters = 73.48 square yards
- 1930 ~ present: 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 66+2⁄3 square meters = 79.73 square yards.
| Pinyin | Character | Relative value | Metric value | Imperial value | Notes |
| háo | 毫 | m | 7.18 sq ft | ||
| lí | 釐 or 厘 | m | 7.973 sq yd | ||
| fēn | 市分 | m | 79.73 sq yd | ||
| mǔ | 畝 or 亩 | 1 | m | 797.3 sq yd 0.1647 acre | one mu =6000 square chi =60 square zhang =1/15 of a hectare |
| qǐng | 頃 or 顷 | 100 | ha | 16.47 acre | Chinese hide |
In Hong Kong and Macau, 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 76.14 square meters = 91.06 square yards.
In Taiwan and Japan, 1 fen = 1⁄10 jia = 969.92 square meters = 10,440 square feet.
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.
For details, please see article Mu (land).
Idioms
One mu and three fen of land, or 1.3 mu of land 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.It is also the name of a Chinese website 1Point3Acres.