The "Records of the Grand Historian" says, "Yu the Great used his own body to determine measurements and used his voice to determine musical notes." The "Book of Rites" states, "The width of a man's outstretched hand is one chi." The "Zhou Li" records, "The edge of a jade disc is used to determine length." The scholar Zheng Sinong explained, "'Xian' means length. This refers to a bi with a diameter of one chi, used to establish measurement standards." The "Yiwei Tong Gua Yan" writes, "The width of ten horse tails is one fen." The "Huainanzi" says, "When the ears of grain are formed during the autumnal equinox, the grain is ripe. The twelve musical units correspond to one grain of millet, and twelve grains of millet are equivalent to one cun." Here, "rui" refers to the awns of grain heads. The "Shuoyuan" states, "The standard of weights and measures starts from millet, with one grain of millet being one fen." "Sunzi's Arithmetic" says, "The silk spun by silkworms is known as hu, ten hus make a second, ten seconds make a mao, ten maos make a li, and ten lis make a fen." These are all origins of weights and measures, but the explanations are contradictory to each other. Only the "History of the Han Dynasty" records a more reliable version: "Measurement is used to measure length, and its original standard is the length of the Huang Zhong. Using medium-sized jushi (a type of grain), the width of one jushi is defined as one fen, and the length of ninety jushi equals that of the Huang Zhong. One jushi is one fen, ten fens make one cun, ten cuns make one chi, ten chis make one zhang, and ten zhangs make one yin, thus establishing five units of length." Later authors based their standards on this explanation and deduced various methods based on the size of jushi, making these proportions quite universal. However, jushi sizes vary, and the jushi sizes in years of good harvests and poor harvests are different. Ancient standards of weights and measures often varied, and some discrepancies arose during its transmission among the populace, leading to gradual changes in the standards of weights and measures. Now, I will briefly list fifteen different historical scales and their similarities and differences as follows:
- The "History of the Han Dynasty" records the Liu Xin bronze hu chi from the Wang Mang period.
- The bronze chi from the Jianwu era of the Later Han Dynasty.
- The lu chi defined by the scholar Xun Xu in the tenth year of the Taishi period of the Jin Dynasty, which is the chi before the Jin Dynasty.
- The bronze chi which was passed down by Zu Chongzhi.
It is said that in the ninth year of the Taishi era under Emperor Jinwu, Xun Xu, the supervisor of the Imperial Library, began to revise the eight tones of the Tai Le music. It was discovered that something was wrong; the eight tones were not harmonious. Upon investigation, it was found that the ruler used from the Eastern Han to the Wei Dynasty was over four fen longer than the ancient standard ruler. Xun Xu then commissioned Liu Gong to recreate the ruler based on the records from the "Rites of Zhou," which is what we call the ancient ruler.
With this ancient ruler, bronze bells and chimes were recast to calibrate the musical tones. When measuring ancient musical instruments with this ancient ruler, the dimensions matched those engraved on the instruments. Additionally, tomb raiders in Jijun uncovered the tomb of King Wei Xiang and surprisingly found Zhou Dynasty jade bells and stone chimes, which sounded similar to the newly cast bells and chimes. At that time, old Han Dynasty bells were also gradually unearthed in various locations, and when tested with the newly cast bells and chimes, the sounds were consistent.
Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty noted in the "Treatise on Bells and Tones": "The bronze ruler left by Zu Chongzhi bears the following inscription: 'In the tenth year of Jin Taishi, the Imperial Library supervisor verified ancient objects, measured and compared the current ruler, which was four and a half fen longer than the ancient standard. There are seven verified ancient standards: Guxi Jade Bells, Xiaolu Jade Bells, Xijing Copper Niao, Jincuo Niao, Copper Hu, Ancient Coins, and Jianwu Copper Ruler. Guxi Jade Bells are slightly longer, Xijing Copper Niao is slightly shorter, while the others match this ruler.' (The inscription consists of eighty-two characters). This ruler is the one newly created by Xun Xu. The ruler we currently use was made by Du Kui. The "Treatise on Bells and Tones" by Lei Cizong and He Yinzhi records the text of Xun Xu proofreading the ancient ruler, which is the same as this inscription. However, Xiao Ji's music scores claim these are the seven standards verified during the Liang Dynasty, which is inaccurate. We will now use this ruler as the standard to compare rulers from various dynasties." The Liang Dynasty ruler is one foot and seven fen longer than the ruler from the Jin Dynasty.
It is said that there was an old farmer who dug up a jade ruler from the Zhou Dynasty in the field, which was considered the standard ruler in the world. Xun Xu used it to check musical instruments and found that the metal strings he crafted were a meter shorter than the ruler. Emperor Liang Wu's "Zhong Lu Wei Cheng" also records that there were Zhou Dynasty bronze rulers and eight ancient jade musical scales circulating in the imperial palace. Later, it was discovered that this Zhou ruler had also been used as a token by Dong Hunhou, but unfortunately, the ruler has since been lost. One of the jade musical scales was damaged, and the remaining seven were interlocking musical scales, which had ancient inscriptions on them. Emperor Liang Wu then made a new ruler based on these jade musical scales for mutual verification. He used fine millet grains in the middle of the ruler to repeatedly measure and accurately determine the length of the ruler, which was arguably the most precise of its time, half a fen longer than Zu Chongzhi's ruler. Then, he used this new ruler to make four musical instruments known as "Tong." He also made flutes according to the new ruler, used them to calibrate ancient bells, determined the Yi Ze sound according to the scale, and then used the flutes to finalize the Yi Ze sound. You see, the lengths of these two rulers are almost the same. Xiao Ji noted in his writings: "This method originates from the 'Sima Fa.' The Liang Dynasty engraved the scale of the ruler on the shadow table to measure the sun's shadow." It refers to the bronze guibiao created by Zuxun at the court's request. Later, when the Chen Dynasty was destroyed, Zuxun entered the court. During the Sui Dynasty, people wanted to unify ancient measurements, so they used it to correct musical scales and make eight kinds of instruments such as clocks and chimes. During the Jin Dynasty, an ancient bronze ruler was also unearthed in Shiping County.
Xiao Ji's "Score" records: "During the reign of Emperor Zhang of Han, Xi Jing, a literary historian from Lingling, dug up a jade ruler under the Shun Temple in Lingdao County and made a ruler based on it." Fu Chang's "Praise of the Jin Dukes" states: "The bell ruler made by Ge Xu was considered very precise by the people at that time, but only Ruan Xian from Chenliu claimed its sound was too high. Later, in Shiping County, an ancient bronze ruler was found, which was almost rotten, and when compared to Xu Xian's ruler, it was found to be a quarter shorter. People at that time all thought Ruan Xian was right." The lengths of these two rulers are also similar.
In the fourth year of Wei Chenliu Wang Jingyuan, Liu Hui commented on the "Nine Chapters on Arithmetic," stating that during the reign of Wang Mang, Liu Xin's hu and ruler were four and a half percent shorter than the rulers at that time, and compared to the rulers of the Wei Dynasty, the depth of the hu was nine inches and five and a half tenths. This is the same as what Xun Xu of the Jin Dynasty said, "Du Kui's ruler is four and a half percent longer than the current ruler."
Xiao Ji noted that this ruler was used in the Jiangdong region during the Jin Dynasty.
The market ruler of the Later Zhou Dynasty was one foot nine inches and three-tenths shorter than the jade ruler.
The official ruler of the Kaihuang period was an iron ruler measuring one foot two inches in length.
From the early Wei Dynasty to the division of the Eastern and Western Wei, until the Later Zhou Dynasty stopped using the jade ruler, people frequently used these rulers interchangeably.
It is said in the "Zhenluan Arithmetic" that the market ruler of the Zhou Dynasty was equivalent to nine-tenths and two-hundredths of the jade ruler. Some say that this ruler was made by Zhi Gong Dao Ren of the Liang Dynasty and sent to the Zhou Dynasty, claiming it was intended for an old man with a long beard. Emperor Taizu of the Zhou Dynasty and Emperor Gaozu of the Sui Dynasty both thought this ruler was made for themselves, and the people of the Zhou Dynasty used this ruler. During the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty, the official ruler was designated as the standard ruler, used by all departments, and remained in use until the Renshou period. By the time of the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty, some members of the public were also using it privately.
The ruler of the Zhou Dynasty this week was actually Lieutenant Yuan Yanming from the Wei Dynasty, who constructed the ruler using the width of half a grain of millet. The Qi Dynasty continued to use this standard. Wei Shou recorded in the "Book of Wei: Treatise on Law and Calendar": "Gongsun Chong, during the Yongping years, made a new ruler, using the length of a grain of millet to accumulate into a cun (inch). Later, the Minister of Music Liu Fang was ordered to revise the music, using the width of a medium-sized grain of millet as one fen (a unit of measurement). Meanwhile, Lieutenant Yuan Kuang used the width of one grain of millet plus the space of two grains of millet as one fen. These three families had different opinions, and the debate continued for a long time without resolution. Until the 19th year of the Dahe era, Emperor Gaozu ordered that the width of one grain of millet be used as one fen, and the length of ninety grains of millet, equivalent to the length of the Huangzhong (Yellow Bell), be used to make copper rulers. The relevant authorities reported that Liu Fang's ruler matched the one set by Gaozu, so they made bronze and stone implements according to Liu Fang's ruler. No further discussions on legal matters took place until the Wuding era.
Additionally, there was a copper ruler attributed to Cai Yong. The jade ruler of the Later Zhou was longer by one foot, one inch, and five eighths of an inch compared to rulers before the Jin Dynasty. A copper ruler, passed down since ancient times, features silver inlays, with an inscription that reads: "Ruler, the palace of Huangzhong, nine inches long, with a circumference of nine fen, can hold twelve hundred grains of millet, weighing twelve zhu, with two zhu equaling one he. Three fen of loss and gain, transforming into twelve laws." It is said by Ancestor Xiaosun that this object has always been regarded as the copper ruler crafted by Cai Yong.
During the Baoding years of Emperor Wu of the Later Zhou, the emperor ordered the Grand Zongbo Lu Jingxuan, Duke of Shangdang Changsun Shaoyuan, Duke of Qiguo Husi Zheng, and others to make rulers using millet grains, yet the dimensions remained uncertain. Later, when repairing the granary, they excavated ancient jade dou (a measuring vessel) and used it as a standard reference for establishing laws and measurements. Consequently, this ruler was adopted, leading to an amnesty across the realm, changing the era to Tianhe, and all departments used this ruler, continuing until the end of the Daxiang era. The Huangzhong standard of this ruler aligns with that of Cai Yong's ancient ruler.
Finally, there is the Song Dynasty measurement, which is one foot, six inches, and four tenths longer than the measurement used before the Jin Dynasty; there is also the Hunyuan Instrument measurement by Qian Lezhi; the iron measurement from the Later Zhou; the measurement used during the early Kaihuang years to adjust the clock and musical scales, and the water measurement used to adjust the clock and musical scales after pacifying the Chen Dynasty.
This measurement is the kind commonly used by the people during the Song Dynasty, which later spread to the Qi, Liang, and Chen Dynasties, where they all used this measurement to make musical instruments and determine musical scales. The lengths are similar to the measurements used after the Jin Dynasty, as well as the measurement used in folk practices during the Liang Dynasty and the measurement on Liu Yao's Hunyuan Instrument. This is probably because the measurement used by the common people inevitably wears down and varies, leading to slight differences.
In the sixth year of the Zhou Dynasty's Jiande, after defeating the Qi Dynasty, this measurement was adopted as the standard measurement and promoted for use nationwide. Later, during the reign of Emperor Xuan, Daxi Zhen and Niu Hong discussed:
We need to clarify the issue of measurements and weights, and we must study how it was done in the past to find the most suitable standard. I carefully checked, and this iron measurement we are currently using was made by order of Emperor Taizu based on the measurement created by the ancient official Su Chuo, which was utilized during the Former Zhou period! We compared it, and this iron measurement is about the same length as the measurement from the Song Dynasty, which was initially used to calibrate the clock and also to measure land. Now, we will test this iron measurement with millet produced from Yangtoushan in Shangdang.
If you use those large millet grains and stack them one by one to reach a foot, you would have to shake them hard to fit them into the Huangzhong tuning pipe. However, if you use medium-sized millet grains to fill a foot, though it might seem a little sparse, they fit perfectly into the Huangzhong tuning pipe without needing to be shaken. These two situations are different mainly because the size of the millet varies, so using an iron ruler to measure is relatively reliable. Moreover, the millet here in Shangdang is unlike anywhere else; it is dark black in color, round, and large. It should be fine to use it as a standard for measurement. It's just that because rainfall and drought conditions vary across regions, and differences in soil quality also exist, the size of millet varies, which makes it hard to establish a standard. Xu Shen explained that Jushi millet is larger and different from ordinary millet; I think these large grains must be Jushi. Stacking a hundred grains to reach a foot is the ancient standard. Besides the ones that fill a foot, there are still about ten left, maybe because the size of the millet varies a bit or because the measurements might not have been that precise back then. Even if you have to shake them to fill it, it makes sense logically.
We also checked the ancient coins from the Zhou and Han dynasties, and their sizes are quite compatible; the armillary sphere from the Song dynasty is also appropriately scaled. Additionally, the "Huainanzi" states that twelve grains of millet piled together measure one inch, which indicates that when the former kings established laws and standards, they conducted thorough research and used measurements for calculations, and the principles are all interrelated. The "Book of Han: Treatise on Food and Money" states: "A piece of gold measuring one inch square weighs one jin." We are currently casting gold for testing and have found that its dimensions are comparable to those of the iron ruler. You see, based on literature and reasoning, there are many points of compatibility. Moreover, this standard had already begun to be used during the Pingqi era, and it is quite appropriate to continue using it now. As for measuring with a jade ruler and millet, due to the inconsistency in the length of millet, piling it up will either leave excess or not fill completely; according to ancient and modern literature, this method is probably not feasible. The rulers from the Jin and Liang dynasties were too short; using millet to fill tubes would simply be impractical, and using it to calibrate musical pitch would certainly result in sounds that are too high and sharp. The harmony of the eight tones is a hallmark of enlightened rulers, and a unified standard of measurements is the principle of enlightened governance. We carefully studied previous literature and combined it with current actual conditions, and we feel that using an iron ruler is more convenient. There wasn’t enough time to finalize it, and then Emperor Gaozu passed away. Niu Hong, Xin Yanzhi, Zheng Yi, He Tuo, and a few others discussed it for half a day without reaching a conclusion. After the fall of the Chen dynasty, the emperor felt that the music of Jiangdong was the best and said: “This is the ancient music of Huaxia. Although it has changed somewhat with the times, it largely follows the ancient methods.” Ancestor Xiaosun said: “After pacifying the Chen dynasty, the jade ruler and laws of the Zhou dynasty were abolished, and this iron ruler along with the new laws were adopted, stipulating that one foot is equal to twelve inches.” In the tenth year of the Kaihuang era, the musical water ruler manufactured by Wan Baochang is actually one foot, one inch, eight tenths, and six hundredths longer than the rulers used before the Jin dynasty. "The current Taiyue Bureau and the internal copper musical instruments are part of what Wan Baochang created, called the musical water ruler. It is said that its Huangzhong pitch is double that of the Nanlv of the iron ruler."
Currently, there is a set of bronze tuning tubes stored in both the Tai Le Ku and the palace, crafted by Wan Bao Chang, called the Water Scale Tuning. The text indicates that its Huang Zhong tuning is equivalent to double the pitch of the Nan Lü from the iron scale. Nan Lü is the harmonic sound of Huang Zhong, hence it is called the Water Scale Tuning.
14. Among various scales, the soil gage scale on the Zhao Liu Yao Huitian Instrument is four fen and three li longer than the official measurement of the Liang Dynasty, and is actually one foot and five fen longer than the measurement used before the Jin Dynasty. "The soil gage scale of the Zhao Liu Yao Huitian Instrument is four fen and three li longer than the Liang official scale, and is actually one foot and five fen longer than the measurement used before the Jin Dynasty."
15. The scale commonly used by the populace during the Liang Dynasty is six fen and three li longer than the official measurement of the Liang Dynasty, two fen longer than the scale on the Liu Yao Huitian Instrument, and is actually one foot and seven fen and one li longer than the measurement used before the Jin Dynasty. Emperor Wu of Liang stated in the "Zhong Lü Wei": "After Emperor Wu of Song pacified the Central Plains, he sent the Huitian Instrument and soil gage, claiming they were made by Zhang Heng. However, according to the inscription on the Huitian Instrument, it indicates it was cast in the fourth year of Guangchu, and the soil gage was made in the eighth year of Guangchu. Both were made by Liu Yao, not Zhang Heng. The scale he created is four fen and three li longer than the current official scale and two fen shorter than the commonly used scale." Here, the "new scale" refers to the official measurement of the Liang Dynasty. "The commonly used scale of the Liang Dynasty is six fen and three li longer than the Liang official scale, two fen longer than the Liu Yao Huitian scale, and is actually one foot and seven fen and one li longer than the measurement used before the Jin Dynasty. Emperor Wu of Liang stated in the 'Zhong Lü Wei': 'After Emperor Wu pacified the Central Plains, he sent the Huitian Instrument and soil gage, claiming they were made by Zhang Heng. Upon verifying the inscription on the Huitian Instrument, it indicates it was cast in the fourth year of Guangchu, and the soil gage was made in the eighth year of Guangchu. Both were made by Liu Yao, not Zhang Heng. The scale he created is four fen and three li longer than the current official scale and two fen shorter than the commonly used scale.' The 'new scale' refers to the official measurement of the Liang Dynasty."
Hello everyone, today we will talk about ancient measurements and weights. First, the "Zhou Li" records a measuring instrument called "Lu," a traditional Chinese measurement unit, which is one foot deep, one foot square on the inside, and circular on the outside, with a volume of one Lu; its bottom diameter is one inch, with a volume of one Dou; its ears (handles) are three inches, with a volume of one Sheng; the total weight is one Jun, and the sound it produces is similar to the Huangzhong. It is exempt from taxes, and the inscription says: "In due time, the literary thoughts ponder, and thus it reaches its peak. The excellent measurement is established, to observe the four nations. Forever to enlighten the future, this instrument is the standard." This means that, after careful design and repeated deliberation, this fine measuring instrument was finally completed to standardize the measurements and weights across the nation, benefiting future generations.
The "Zuo Zhuan" also mentions four ancient measuring instruments: Dou, Qu, Lu, and Zhong. Four Sheng equal one Dou, and so on, four Dou make one Lu, which is equivalent to six Dou and four Sheng; ten Lu make one Zhong, which is sixty-four Dou. Zheng Xuan believed that the area of a square measurement is one thousand inches, which is two Sheng and eighty-one Fen less than the "Nine Chapters on the Art of Rice." Zu Chongzhi calculated using arithmetic, resulting in an area of one thousand five hundred sixty-two and a half inches. If we consider the inner square and outer circle of the square measurement, subtracting one Li and eight Mao from the dimensions, the diameter is one foot, four inches, one Fen, four Mao, seven Miao, and two Hu, with a depth of one foot; this measurement corresponds to the size of the ancient Hu.
The "Nine Chapters on Commercial Calculation" records that the volume of one Hu of millet is two thousand seven hundred inches, one Hu of rice is one thousand six hundred twenty inches, and one Hu of beans and hemp wheat is two thousand four hundred thirty inches. This is measured according to the quality of the grains to ensure uniform pricing but unequal volumes. Among them, the rice Hu is the standard, which is consistent with the records in the "Han Zhi." "Sunzi Suanshu" states: six grains of millet make one Gui, ten Gui make one Miao, ten Miao make one Cuo, ten Cuo make one Spoon, and ten Spoons make one He. Ying Shao explained that Gui is a natural shape, the beginning of Yin and Yang; four Gui make one Cuo. Meng Kang said that sixty-four grains of millet make one Gui.
The "Han Zhi" states that the measuring instruments include the yue, he, sheng, dou, and hu, which are used to measure quantity. They originated from the yue from the Huangzhong musical scale. The volume is measured using standard measuring instruments, filling the yue with twelve hundred grains of millet and calibrating its capacity with well water. One yue equals one he, ten he equals one sheng, ten sheng equals one dou, and ten dou equals one hu, thus completing the set of five measuring instruments. Its manufacturing method involves crafting it from copper in a shape that is square on the inside and round on the outside, with handles on the sides. The top represents hu, the bottom represents dou, the left ear represents sheng, while the right ear represents he and yue. Its shape resembles a jue, symbolizing official rank. The upper three and lower two symbolize heaven and earth; round yet square inside, left one and right two symbolize yin and yang. The circular shape symbolizes regulation, weighing two jun and encompassing a total of five hundred twenty thousand various quantities of matter. The sound is Huangzhong, cycling endlessly. The inscription on the hu reads: "The regulated quantity hu, square inside and round outside, with a side of nine li and five hao, a depth of one foot, accumulating one thousand six hundred twenty inches, holding ten dou." Zu Chongzhi calculated using pi that the diameter of this hu should be one foot, four inches, three fen, six li, one hao, nine miao, and two hu. The handle width is about one fen and nine hao. Liu Xin calculated the handle width to be about one li and four hao less, which was due to his insufficient calculation ability.
In 234 AD, Liu Hui, while annotating "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art: Commercial Work," stated: "The hu used by the current Minister of Agriculture has a diameter of one foot, three inches, five fen, and five li, with a depth of one foot, and a volume of one thousand four hundred forty-one inches and three tenths. The copper hu from Wang Mang's period, according to today's measurements, has a depth of nine inches, five fen, and five li, with a diameter of one foot, three inches, six fen, eight li, and seven hao. According to my calculations, the volume of the hu from Wang Mang's period is slightly more than nine dou, seven sheng, and four he." Therefore, it can be said that the hu from the Wei Dynasty was relatively larger, and the ruler was also longer; the hu from Wang Mang's period was relatively smaller, and the ruler was also shorter. The Liang and Chen Dynasties maintained the ancient system of weights and measures. The Qi Dynasty established that five ancient sheng are equivalent to one dou.
In the first year of the Baoding era of the Later Zhou (561 AD), in May, when the Jin state was building storage facilities, an ancient jade measuring vessel was discovered. By the fifth year of Baoding (565 AD), in October, Emperor Wu issued an edict to reform the copper weights and measures, ultimately achieving a unified standard. The inscription noted that after repeatedly measuring with glutinous millet, the volume of the jade vessel was found to be completely consistent with the new copper measuring instruments, with no deviation whatsoever. They then made copper sheng (a measure) according to the standard of the jade vessel and issued it for use across the realm. The inscription on the copper sheng states: "In the first year of the Baoding era of the Great Zhou, in the year of Chongguang, in the month of Ruibin, when the Jin state government repaired the storage facilities, this ancient jade sheng was obtained, its shape and regulation were very standard, akin to the exquisite measuring instruments of ancient times. The Grand Master of the Jin state reported this matter, and the emperor ordered it to be stored in the Imperial Treasury. By the fifth year of Baoding, in the year of Xieqia, the emperor ordered a thorough inspection of the ropes, standards, rules, and squares, to examine the gray laws, ensuring there was no loss in measurements and no deviation in the millet. Thus, gold was smelted to cast the copper sheng, which was issued for use across the realm, to achieve the unified measurements of a peaceful and prosperous age." This copper sheng has an inner diameter of seven inches and one-tenth, a depth of two inches and eight-tenths, and weighs seven catties and eight taels. In the second year of Tianhe (567 AD), on the first day of the month of Guiyou, and on the fifteenth day of Wuzi, the calibration was completed and it was transferred to the local government as the standard measure. The inscription on the jade sheng reads: "In the first year of the Baoding era of the Great Zhou, in the year of Chongguang, in the month of Luyin, officials of the Jin state obtained this ancient jade sheng during the repair of granaries, its form was correct, like the excellent measures of old. The Grand Master of the Jin state reported this, and it was decreed to be stored in the Imperial Treasury. In the fifth year, in the year of Xieqia, the emperor then issued an edict to inspect the standards, examine the gray laws, ensuring there was no loss in measurements and no deviation in the millet. Thus, gold was melted to inscribe it, and it was issued for use across the realm, to align with the peaceful measurements." Now, if calculated numerically, the volume of the jade sheng is approximately one hundred and ten inches and eight-tenths, and the volume of a hu (a larger measure) is approximately one thousand one hundred and eighty-five inches, seven-tenths, three hundredths, and nine thousandths. Zhen Luan in "Arithmetic" says: "One sheng of jade is equal to one sheng and three he and four spoonfuls of the government measure." Therefore, it can be said that the jade sheng is relatively large, while the government measure is relatively small. Based on numerical calculations, the volume of the government measure from the Later Zhou that Zhen Luan referred to is approximately ninety-seven inches, and the volume of a hu is about nine hundred seventy-seven inches. The jade measuring vessel from the Later Zhou, along with the accompanying gold-inlaid copper measuring vessel and the gold-inlaid copper measuring vessel from the sixth year of Jiande (577 AD), were all calibrated using glutinous millet. When weighed on a jade balance, one sheng consistently weighs six catties and thirteen taels.
During the Kaihuang period, it was established that three ancient sheng equaled one modern sheng. By the Daye period, the ancient dou was reinstated.
"Heng" means balance; "quan" means weight. The role of heng is to support quan, used to measure the lightness and heaviness of items. The process of crafting heng involves using a base to ensure its vertical alignment and a rope to correct its straightness. Turning left reveals a compass, while turning right reveals a square ruler. The function of heng in the heavens is to support the celestial armillary sphere, to deliberate on the establishment of pointers, and to coordinate the seven celestial bodies; hence, it is called "yu heng."
Quan refers to weight units such as zhu, liang, jin, jun, and shi, used to weigh items and determine lightness and heaviness. In ancient times, there were also weight units like shu, jian, chui, zi, huan, gou, luo, and yi, with different standards in each dynasty; I'm not entirely sure about the specifics. The "Book of Han" states that the origin of quan is based on the weight of the yellow bell. One yue can hold 1,200 grains of millet, weighing twelve zhu. Twenty-four zhu equal one liang, sixteen liang equal one jin, thirty jin equal one jun, and four jun equal one shi. The crafting of these five types of weights is highly precise; their establishment is based on principles and calibrated using items. The remaining variations in size are determined by their weight.
Crafted into a circular shape and encircled, it ensures that its thickness is uniform, repeating endlessly without exhaustion. When quan and items achieve balance, heng is created. The functioning of heng produces the compass; the circular shape of the compass produces the square ruler; the square shape of the ruler produces the rope; and the straightness of the rope produces the standard measure. When the standard measure is correct, heng is balanced, and quan is accurate. These represent the five fundamental principles, all present in the weighing instrument, serving as the main standards.
According to the records in the "Zhao Book," in the seventh month of the eighteenth year of the reign of Shi Le, when the Jiande Hall was being built, a round stone shaped like a water mill was found. Inscribed on it was the text: "Law Weight Stone, weighing four jun, for law and measurement. Made by the Xin family." The following discussion pertains to the era of Wang Mang. During the Jingming years of the Northern Wei, a man from Bingzhou named Wang Xianda presented an ancient copper weight inscribed with an eighty-one character text. The inscription stated: "Law Weight Stone, weighing four jun." It also said: "The Yellow Emperor, the first ancestor, virtue spread during the Yu. The Yu Emperor, the first ancestor, virtue spread during the Xin. In the year of Daliang, the dragon gathered on Wuchens. Wuchens was directly determined, the heavenly mandate was given to people. According to the earth's virtue received, the correct name is the true name. Correct the ugly construction, longevity and prosperity. Same law and measurement, checking against the previous people. The dragon is in Jisi, the year is indeed Shen, the world was first established, all nations will follow for eternity. Generations of descendants will enjoy transmission for billions of years." This was also manufactured by Wang Mang. At that time, the Grand Music Officer Gongsun Chong first adjusted the weights and measures according to the "Book of Han," and when he saw this weight, he used a new scale to measure it, and it weighed one hundred and twenty jin. The new weights and measures matched perfectly. Thus, this weight was handed over to Gongsun Chong for adjusting the musical scales. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the斗 and尺 were made entirely according to the "Book of Han."
It is said that during the Liang and Chen dynasties, they used traditional scales. In the Qi dynasty, one jin was considered to be eight liang, and these traditional scales differed from today's. In the Zhou dynasty, their jade scales were four liang, equivalent to four and a half liang of the traditional scales. By the time of Emperor Wen of the Sui during the Kaihuang years, it was officially stipulated that one jin was equal to three jin of the traditional scales. Later, during the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui, they reverted to using the traditional scales.
Thus, ancient scales were all mixed up in standards, with each dynasty being different; the number of liang in a jin depended on the dynasty in question. Therefore, the ancient weights and measures were a real headache for people.
