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The Chinese sheng (Chinese: 升; pinyin: shēng), called sho in Japan and seung in Korea, also called Chinese liter, is a traditional unit of volume in East Asia. It originated from China and later spread to Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Vietnam and other places.[1] One sheng equals 10 ge or 1/10 dou, though its specific capacity has varied by times and regions. Nowadays, it is 1 liter in China,[2][3] 1.8039 liters in Japan[4] and 1.8 liters in Korea.[5]

Sheng is a traditional measure for cereal grains. Now, like "liter", sheng is more often used to measure liquid or gas.[6] [7]

Ancient systems

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Liangzhao Bronze cubic sheng is a standard measuring instrument issued by the Qin Dynasty. On both sides are engraved the imperial edicts of the 26th year of the First Emperor and the first year of Qin II.

As a unit of volume, sheng appeared in the Warring States Period (c. 475 to 221 BC) of China and has remained in use ever since. [7] [8]

History of volume measurement systems in China [8][9]
Dynasty Unit converion Metric conversion (milliliters ml)
Warring States Period (戰國) Qi (齊)：1 zhong (鍾)＝10 fu (釜)；1釜＝4 qu (區)；1區＝4 dou (豆)；1豆＝4 sheng (升)
Chu (楚)：1 shao (筲)＝5升
Qin (秦)、Three Qin (三晉)（Han 韓、Zhao 趙、Wei 魏）：1 hu (斛)＝10 dou (斗)；1斗＝10升
Qin (秦) 1 hu (斛)＝10 dou (斗)；1 斗＝10 sheng (升) 1斛＝20000ml；1斗＝2000ml；1升＝200ml；Shang Yang’s Reform (商鞅变法) 1 cubic sheng (方升)＝201ml
Han (漢) 1 hu (斛)＝10 dou (斗)；1 斗＝10 sheng (升)；1 升＝10 ge (合)；1合＝2 lun (龠)；1龠＝5 cuo (撮)；1撮＝4 gui (圭) 1斛＝20000；1斗＝2000；1升＝200；1合＝20；1龠＝10；1撮＝2；1圭＝0.5
Three Kingdoms (三國) and Jin (兩晉) 1 hu (斛)＝10 dou (斗)；1斗＝10 sheng (升)；1升＝10 ge (合) 1斛＝20450；1斗＝2045；1升＝204.5；1合＝20.45
Northern and Southern Dynasties (南北朝) 1斛＝10斗；1斗＝10升；1升＝10合 1斛＝30000；1斗＝3000；1升＝300；1合＝30
Sui (隋) 1斛＝10斗；1斗＝10升；1升＝10合 Kaihuang (開皇)：1斛＝60000；1斗＝6000；1升＝600；1合＝60

Daye (大業)：1斛＝20000；1斗＝2000；1升＝200；1合＝20

Tang (唐) 1斛＝10斗；1斗＝10升；1升＝10合 big (大)：1斛＝60000；1斗＝6000；1升＝600；1合＝60

small (小)：1斛＝20000；1斗＝2000；1升＝200；1合＝20

Song (宋) 1 dan (石)＝2 hu (斛)；1斛＝5 dou (斗)；1斗＝10 sheng (升)；1升＝10 (合) 1石＝67000；1斛＝33500；1斗＝6700；1升＝670；1合＝67
Yuan (元) 1石＝2斛；1斛＝5斗；1斗＝10升；1升＝10合 1石＝95000；1斛＝47500；1斗＝9500；1升＝950；1合＝95
Ming (明) & Qing (清) 1石＝2斛；1斛＝5斗；1斗＝10升；1升＝10合 1石＝100000；1斛＝50000；1斗＝10000；1升＝1000；1合＝100

Sheng and the other units of volume were usually used to measure cereal grains in ancient China.[6]

Modern systems

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China

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Sheng is the basic unit in the volume system promulgated by the Chinese government in 1915. One sheng (升) equals 1.0354688 liters. [10]

Table of Chinese volume units effective in 1915 [10]
Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value US value Imperial value Notes
sháo 勺 1⁄100 10.354688 mL 0.3501 fl oz 0.3644 fl oz
gě 合 1⁄10 103.54688 mL 3.501 fl oz 3.644 fl oz
shēng 升 1 1.0354688 L 2.188 pt 1.822 pt
dǒu 斗 10 10.354688 L 2.735 gal 2.278 gal
hú 斛 50 51.77344 L 13.68 gal 11.39 gal
dàn 石 100 103.54688 L 27.35 gal 22.78 gal

The following table is based on the "Weights and Measures Acts" of the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), which came into effect on January 1, 1930. The Chinese volume units listed in the "Chinese Name Plan for Unified Metric Units of Measurement" of the People's Republic of China in 1959 are Chinese dan, dou, sheng, and ge. The basic unit remains sheng, and one sheng is equal to one liter. The Chinese sheng is also called "市升" ("market sheng" or "market liter") to distinguish from the Chinese translation of "liter", which is called "公升", ("common sheng" or "common liter"). [2][11]

Table of Chinese volume units effective since 1930[2][11]
Pinyin Character Relative value Metric value US value Imperial value Notes
cuō 撮 1⁄1000 1 mL 0.0338 fl oz 0.0352 fl oz millilitre
sháo 勺 1⁄100 10 mL 0.3381 fl oz 0.3520 fl oz centilitre
gě 合 1⁄10 100 mL 3.381 fl oz 3.520 fl oz decilitre
shēng 市升 1 1 L 2.113 pt 1.760 pt litre
dǒu 市斗 10 10 L 21.13 pt
2.64 gal 		17.60 pt
2.20 gal 		decalitre
dàn 市石 100 100 L 26.41 gal 22.0 gal hectolitre

Nowadays, like the unit of "liter", sheng is more often used to measure liquid or gas.[7]

Japan

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The base unit of volume in Japan is shō (升), i.e., the Japanese sheng. One sho equals 1.804 liters. Sake and shochu are both commonly sold in large 1800 mL bottles known as isshōbin (一升瓶), literally "one shō bottle".[12]

Table of volume units in Japan [4][13]
Unit Shō Metric US Imperial
Romanized Kanji Exact Approx. Exact Approx. Exact Approx.
Sai 才 1⁄1000 ⁠2401/1,331,000⁠ L 1.804 mL ⁠37,515,625/15,900,351,812,136⁠ cu yd 29.28 min ⁠240,100/605,084,579⁠ gal 30.47 min
0.1101 cu in
Shaku 勺 1⁄100 ⁠2401/133,100⁠ L 18.04 mL ⁠187,578,125/7,950,175,906,068⁠ cu yd 0.6100 fl oz ⁠2,401,000/605,084,579⁠ gal 0.6349 fl oz
1.101 cu in
Gō 合 1⁄10 ⁠2401/13,310⁠ L 180.4 mL ⁠937,890,625/3,975,087,953,034⁠ cu yd 0.3812 pt ⁠24,010,000/605,084,579⁠ gal 0.3174 pt
0.3276 dry pt
Shō 升 1 ⁠2401/1331⁠ L 1.804 L ⁠4,689,453,125/1,987,543,976,517⁠ cu yd 1.906 qt ⁠240,100,000/605,084,579⁠ gal 1.587 qt
1.638 dry qt
To 斗 10 ⁠24,010/1331⁠ L 18.04 L ⁠46,894,531,250/1,987,543,976,517⁠ cu yd 4.765 gal ⁠2,401,000,000/605,084,579⁠ gal 3.968 gal
2.048 pk
Koku 石 100 ⁠240,100/1331⁠ L 180.4 L ⁠468,945,312,500/1,987,543,976,517⁠ cu yd 47.65 gal ⁠24,010,000,000/605,084,579⁠ gal 39.680 gal
5.119 bu
Notes:
  • Approximations are rounded to four significant figures.

Korea

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The base unit of Korean volume is the doi, equal to the Korean sheng (seung, 승(升)).[14]

Table of volume units in Korea [15] [16]
Romanization Korean English Equivalents
RR MR[17] Other Doe[18] Other countries Global
Jak Chak 작(勺) 1⁄100 18 mL (0.63 imp fl oz; 0.61 US fl oz)
Hop Hop 홉 1⁄10 Ge 180 mL (6.3 imp fl oz; 6.1 US fl oz)[a][18]
Doe Toe Doi[18]
Dwe[5] 		되 Korean Peck[19] 1 1.8 L (0.40 imp gal; 0.48 US gal)[b][18]
Seung Sŭng 승(升)
Mal Mal 말 Korean Bushel 10 18 L (4.0 imp gal; 4.8 US gal)[c][18]
Du Tu 두(斗)
Seom Sŏm 섬 Korean Picul[19] 100 Picul 180 L (40 imp gal; 48 US gal)[d][18]
Seok Sŏk Suk[18] 석(石)
Jeom Chŏm 점(苫)
Sogok Sogok 소곡(小斛) 150 270 L (59 imp gal; 71 US gal)
Pyeongseok P'yŏngsŏk 평석(平石)
Daegok Taegok 대곡(大斛) 200 360 L (79 imp gal; 95 US gal)
Jeonseok Chŏnsŏk 전석(全石)

Sheng and Liter

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The English "liter" is also called sheng (升) in China. In the cases where distinguishing is needed, word "liter" is translated into 公升 ("common sheng", or "common liter"), and the traditional Chinese sheng is called 市升 ("market sheng", or "market liter"), because it is more frequently used in the market.[10] [3] The shengs can also be distinguished by the regions they were defined, such as the "Chinese sheng", "Japanese shō", "Korean seung", "British liter", etc.

In China, one sheng is equal to one liter. Since the two units are of the same size, they are both called sheng in Chinese or "liter" in English for short when distinction is not necessary. In addition, the Chinese standard SI prefixes may be added to 升 (shēng) to form more units, such as 分升(fensheng, deciliter, dl), 厘升 (lisheng, centiliter, cl), 毫升 (haosheng, milliliter, cl). [11] [3]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The variant figures in Fessley [17] and the UN reports[18] are based on the imperial measuring system.
  2. ^ imp
  3. ^ imp
  4. ^ imp

References

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  1. ^ "升 (Sheng in China, sho in Japan and seung in Korea)". 27 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "The Weights and Measures Act (1929)" (in Chinese). Legislative Yuan. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
  3. ^ a b c 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.
  4. ^ a b Iwata, Shigeo. "Weights and Measures in Japan"
  5. ^ a b Kim (2007).
  6. ^ a b Language Institute 2016, p. 1165.
  7. ^ a b c "Cambridge Dictionary".
  8. ^ a b "中國度量衡".
  9. ^ "shēng [Chinese 升]". Sizes.
  10. ^ a b c "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)
  11. ^ a b c (in Chinese) 1959 Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, No. 180, page 317
  12. ^ "Isshobin | 一升瓶". UrbanSake.com.
  13. ^ World Weights and Measures: Handbook for Statisticians, ST/STAT/SER. M/21, UN Publication No. 1955.XVII.2, New York, NY: Statistical Office of the United Nations, 1955
  14. ^ Kim, Jun Hee (March 2007), "Taking Measure", Invest Korea Journal, vol. 25, Seoul: Korea Trade–Investment Promotion Agency
  15. ^ Fessley, Susanna (2009), "Weights and Measures in East Asian Studies" (PDF), Albany: State University of New York
  16. ^ "Glossary of Korean History", Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Seoul: National Institute of Korean History, 2017
  17. ^ a b Fessley (2009), p. 9.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h UN (1955), III-59.
  19. ^ a b NIKH (2017).
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