jin
catty; the traditional Chinese 'pound' (16 liang before 1959 on the mainland; 10 liang since)
Definition#
A traditional East Asian unit of weight that Chinese-language tea sellers still use for wholesale and retail quotes ('per jin'). Its size depends on the system, so a price per jin cannot be compared across sellers without converting. Mainland China: the market jin (市斤) is 500 g and, since a State Council order of 25 June 1959, equals 10 liang (1 liang = 50 g); before that it was 16 liang. Taiwan: the taijin (台斤) is 600 g = 16 Taiwan liang of 37.5 g. Hong Kong: the jin (catty, 司馬斤) is defined in the Weights and Measures Ordinance as 0.60478982 kg, about 604.8 g = 16 liang. Japan: the kin (斤) is 600 g (160 momme) but is rarely used. A 公斤 (gōngjīn) is the kilogram and equals 2 mainland jin. Arithmetic from these figures: a Taiwanese 4-liang pack is 150 g, a mainland half-jin is 250 g.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | jin Chinese pound: 500 g on the mainland, 600 g in Taiwan, about 605 g in Hong Kong pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid pound a jin is neither 453.6 g nor one fixed weight; the value depends on the system kilogram or 'kg' for jin 公斤 is the kilogram and equals two mainland jin |
| Deutsch | Jin chinesische Gewichtseinheit (Kätti): Festland 500 g, Taiwan 600 g, Hongkong rund 605 g pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid Pfund (ohne Zusatz) 'Pfund' is normally read as 500 g, which fits only the mainland jin; the Taiwan jin is 600 g |
| Русский | цзинь китайский фунт: КНР 500 г, Тайвань 600 г pinyin with a gloss |
Avoid фунт the Russian and English pounds are not equal to the jin |
| 简体字 | 斤 | |
| 繁體字 | 斤 | Regional usage
|
| 日本語 | 斤 中国の斤（市斤500 g、台斤600 g） translation |
Also acceptable
Avoid 斤（きん）を600 gとして読むこと The Japanese 斤 (kin) is 600 g, which equals the Taiwan jin but NOT the mainland jin (500 g); do not assume the Japanese value when a Chinese shop quotes 斤 |
Common confusions#
- Same character, different weights: mainland 500 g, Taiwan 600 g, Hong Kong about 604.8 g. A 'per jin' Taiwanese price is for 20 % more tea than the same figure per mainland jin.
- Not interchangeable with 公斤 (kilogram) or with the English pound.
- Before 1959 the mainland jin counted 16 liang; older texts and product names built on liang (for example 千两茶) may rest on older unit systems. Not covered here, so do not apply modern values to historical weights.