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The Measurement of Grain During the Han Period

The Measurement of Grain During the Han Period THE MEASUREMENT OF GRAIN DURING THE HAN PERIOD BY MICHAEL LOEWE The movement and exchange of grain played a major role in the development of the Han economy. Suggestions for the control of these transactions figure frequently in criticisms launched against the administration and in the schemes that were devised to improve the national way of life. In addition the distribution of grain affected the livelihood of all Han officials, as a proportion of their salaries was paid in that commodity. For these reasons the need to understand the means whereby grain was measured needs no emphasis. However, a number of problems beset the subject, and a satisfactory explanation ot the terms that are used may not have been reached yet. The evidence of the official histories is far from complete, and the shortage of archive material makes itself felt most acutely in connection with this subject. Never- theless, it is possible to reach the following tentative conclusions: i. Grains were measured by units of capacity during the Han period; there is no reason to suppose that units of weight were used. 2. The standard measure of capacity was termned either shih or hit Ai, and both terms http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png T'oung Pao Brill

The Measurement of Grain During the Han Period

Loewe, Michael
T'oung Pao , Volume 49 (1): 64 – Jan 1, 1962
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1962 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0082-5433
eISSN
1568-5322
DOI
10.1163/156853262X00020
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE MEASUREMENT OF GRAIN DURING THE HAN PERIOD BY MICHAEL LOEWE The movement and exchange of grain played a major role in the development of the Han economy. Suggestions for the control of these transactions figure frequently in criticisms launched against the administration and in the schemes that were devised to improve the national way of life. In addition the distribution of grain affected the livelihood of all Han officials, as a proportion of their salaries was paid in that commodity. For these reasons the need to understand the means whereby grain was measured needs no emphasis. However, a number of problems beset the subject, and a satisfactory explanation ot the terms that are used may not have been reached yet. The evidence of the official histories is far from complete, and the shortage of archive material makes itself felt most acutely in connection with this subject. Never- theless, it is possible to reach the following tentative conclusions: i. Grains were measured by units of capacity during the Han period; there is no reason to suppose that units of weight were used. 2. The standard measure of capacity was termned either shih or hit Ai, and both terms

Journal

T'oung Pao – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1962

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