Jin (mass)

A jin is a way to weigh food.

In China, one jin is 500 grams. In Japan, it is 600 grams.

In Taiwan, people use the taijin. It is also 600 grams.

One jin can be split into smaller parts. These are called taels.

It is an old way to shop. People still use it today.

A jin is a traditional way to weigh things. It is used in many parts of East and Southeast Asia. People often use it to weigh food at markets.

The name "catty" comes from the Malay word kati. In many places, one jin is about 600 grams. For example, Japan and Korea use 600 grams. In Taiwan, people use a version called the taijin. This is also 600 grams. In some places like Malaysia, it is about 604 grams.

In China, the jin is used in a special way. People call the 500-gram version the market jin. This helps people not mix it up with the kilogram. The kilogram is called the common jin. You can also split a jin into smaller parts. These small parts are called taels. In the market system in China, one jin has 10 taels. In other places, one jin might have 16 taels.

There are even bigger units. A picul is a large unit equal to 100 catties. These units help people trade and shop every day.

The jin, often called a catty, is a traditional unit of mass. It is used across East and Southeast Asia to weigh groceries. People use it every day to buy food at local markets. This unit helps people trade goods with ease. It is a very important part of daily life in many cultures.

There are many different ways the jin works. One jin can be divided into smaller pieces called taels. In modern China, one jin is divided into 10 taels. However, in other places, one jin might be divided into 16 taels. There are also much larger units you can use. A picul is a large unit equal to 100 catties. A gwan is another unit equal to 30 jin.

This system has a very long history in China. In ancient times, an official called the Sima managed military affairs. This official had to weigh grain and animal food. Because of this, the weight units were called sima units. People even used special tools called sima scales. These scales are still used in Hong Kong today. The weight of a jin has changed many times through history.

Different places use different amounts for one jin. In Japan, Korea, and Thailand, it is rounded to 600 grams. In Taiwan, the taijin is also 600 grams. The weight is slightly different in other areas. In Malaysia, one catty is 604.79 grams. In Singapore, the law says it is 604.8 grams. In Hong Kong, it is 604.78982 grams. In Vietnam, the jin is 604.5 grams.

In China, people use two different kinds of jin. They use the market jin for buying things. This market jin is exactly 500 grams. They also use the common jin for the kilogram. This helps people not get the two mixed up. The word catty actually comes from the Malay word kati. This word simply means "the weight." It is a useful tool that connects many different cultures.

The jin, also known as the catty, is a traditional unit of mass used throughout East and Southeast Asia. It serves as a vital tool for weighing groceries and various goods in local markets. While many parts of the world have moved to the metric system, the jin remains a practical standard for trade. It is part of a complex system of measurements that connects different cultures and histories. This unit is not just a number; it is a way of understanding value and quantity in daily life.

To understand how the jin works, one must look at its subdivisions and larger counterparts. A single jin can be broken down into smaller units called taels, or liang. In modern China, the system is simplified so that one jin equals 10 taels. However, in other historical or regional contexts, one jin is divided into 16 liang. For much larger quantities, people use the picul, which is equal to 100 catties. There is also a unit called the gwan, which represents 30 jin.

The history of these measurements is tied to ancient Chinese military administration. In ancient China, an official known as the Sima was responsible for military affairs. This role required the frequent weighing of grain and fodder for soldiers and animals. Because of this, the mass units were called sima units, and the tools used were sima scales. Even today, these specific types of scales are still used in Hong Kong. The weight of a jin has shifted significantly across different dynasties, from 250 grams in the Pre-Qin era to roughly 590 grams during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

As different governments took power, the exact weight of the jin was redefined through various laws. In 1915, the Beiyang government created a law to use the metric system while keeping Qing definitions. Later, in 1929, the Nationalist government updated the weights to align more closely with metric numbers. In 1959, the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued an order to unify the system. They decided that for ease of conversion, one jin should equal 10 liang rather than 16. This change helped distinguish the market jin from the metric kilogram.

Today, the exact mass of a jin varies depending on the specific region and local law. In mainland China, the market jin is standardized at exactly 500 grams. This is often called the market jin to distinguish it from the common jin, which refers to the kilogram. In Taiwan, the taijin is used and is equivalent to 600 grams, consisting of 16 Taiwan liang. Other regions use slightly different values. For example, the jin in Vietnam is 604.5 grams, while in Malaysia it is 604.79 grams. In Singapore, the legal weight is 604.8 grams, and in Hong Kong, it is 604.78982 grams.

Regional variations also exist in Japan and Korea. In Japan, the jin, or kin, is also rounded to 600 grams, though it is rarely used except for specific items like slices of bread. In Korea, the geun is the common unit for meat and is also considered equivalent to 600 grams. These specific measurements allow traders to maintain consistency within their own local economies. Even with these differences, the underlying logic of the jin remains a shared cultural concept across borders.

The jin connects various fields, including commerce, law, and traditional medicine. In the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specialized measurement systems were used for a long time. Until 1979, TCM practitioners often used the 16-liang division for a 500-gram jin. A change in 1979 required the TCM trade to switch to metric units to ensure accuracy. This transition shows how even ancient traditions must adapt to modern global standards. The jin remains a living example of how history and math meet in the marketplace.