Zhang

What Is Zhang?

Zhang is an old Chinese unit of length. People used it to measure things like the height of walls, the depth of water, and the length of ropes. One zhang is usually taken as about 3.3 meters or about 11 feet in simple modern terms.

Definition

In traditional Chinese measurement, one zhang is equal to 10 chi which are Chinese feet. Today, when people convert it to the metric system, it is often treated as

• 1 zhang ≈ 3.3 meters
• 1 zhang ≈ 330 centimeters
• 1 zhang ≈ 11 feet

The exact length changed in different times and places in history, so you may see slightly different values in old books, often between about 3.2 and 3.7 meters.

History / Origin

The zhang has been used in China for more than two thousand years. It grew out of the older unit chi, the Chinese foot, which was based on human body parts such as the length of a forearm or a step.

Because chi was used so often, it was helpful to group 10 chi together. That larger bundle became the zhang. It was useful for measuring bigger things such as

• the height of city walls
• the depth of rivers and wells
• the length of boats and large beams
• distances in farming and building projects

Over time, different dynasties set slightly different official lengths for the chi, so the exact size of the zhang changed with them. When China moved to the metric system in the 1900s, the traditional chi and zhang were given metric values so they could still be used in a clear way.

Symbol & Abbreviation

The main ways to write zhang are

• Chinese character: 丈
• Pinyin the standard way to spell the sound in Latin letters: zhang with a falling tone, written as zhàng
• English text: usually written as zhang

There is no single worldwide official short symbol like m for meter or ft for foot. In tables or studies, people sometimes use

• zhang
• zh

When you see the character 丈 after a number in Chinese, it usually means the length unit zhang.

Current Use Around the World

Today, the zhang is not an official main unit in most places. The metric system with meters and centimeters is standard in modern China and in most of the world. Still, the zhang appears in several areas.

• In everyday speech Older people, builders, farmers, or fishers in Chinese speaking areas may still use zhang when talking about height or depth.
• In culture and stories Many Chinese novels, poems, opera texts, and martial arts stories use zhang to tell how tall a cliff is or how far a hero can jump.
• In history and research Historians, archaeologists, and translators use zhang when they work with old records, maps, and building plans.
• In traditional crafts Some traditional builders, boat makers, and temple repair workers still think in chi and zhang even if they also use meters on their tools.

Outside Chinese speaking regions, the zhang mostly appears in textbooks, museum signs, and academic papers that explain Chinese history and science.

Example Conversions

Because the exact length changed in history, these example conversions use a common modern value of

• 1 zhang ≈ 3.3 meters
• 1 zhang ≈ 10 Chinese chi

From zhang to metric and feet

• 1 zhang ≈ 3.3 meters ≈ 330 centimeters ≈ 10.8 to 11 feet
• 2 zhang ≈ 6.6 meters ≈ 660 centimeters ≈ 21.6 to 22 feet
• 5 zhang ≈ 16.5 meters ≈ 1650 centimeters ≈ 54 to 55 feet
• 10 zhang ≈ 33 meters ≈ 3300 centimeters ≈ about 108 feet

From meters to zhang

• 1 meter ≈ 0.3 zhang
• 3 meters ≈ 0.9 zhang, a little less than one zhang
• 10 meters ≈ 3 zhang
• 30 meters ≈ 9 zhang

Within the traditional Chinese system

• 1 zhang = 10 chi Chinese feet
• 1 chi = 10 cun Chinese inches
• So 1 zhang = 100 cun

When you work with old texts, always check which period they are from because the exact value of chi and zhang may be slightly different.

Related Units

Several other traditional Chinese units are closely linked to the zhang.

• Chi The basic Chinese foot. It is one tenth of a zhang. In many modern standards, 1 chi is about 0.33 meter.
• Cun A smaller unit often called the Chinese inch. 10 cun make 1 chi, and 100 cun make 1 zhang.
• Bu A traditional pace or step. In some periods, a bu was around 5 chi, so 2 bu were about 1 zhang.
• Li A larger Chinese length unit used for longer distances. Many li together can describe the distance between towns. Li is much larger than a zhang.
• Meter m The main modern scientific length unit. It is used around the world today. One zhang is a little more than 3 meters.
• Foot ft The common length unit in the United States and some other places. One zhang is a bit over 10 feet.

FAQs

Is zhang still used today

Yes, but mostly in limited ways. The metric system is standard in modern China. However, zhang and chi are still heard in speech among older people, in traditional building work, and in stories or TV dramas set in the past.

How long is one zhang in meters

A common modern value is about 3.3 meters for one zhang. In history, the real value changed, often between about 3.2 and 3.7 meters, so old records may not match perfectly.

How long is one zhang in feet

If one zhang is taken as 3.3 meters, then it is roughly between 10.8 and 11 feet. For quick estimates, you can think of 1 zhang as about 11 feet.

Is the unit zhang the same as the Chinese family name Zhang

No, they are different words that only look similar in English letters. The length unit zhang uses the Chinese character 丈. The common family name Zhang uses other characters such as 張 or 章. They do not have the same meaning.

Why do some books give different lengths for one zhang

Different Chinese dynasties used slightly different official sizes for the chi. Since 1 zhang equals 10 chi, any change in chi changes the zhang as well. That is why historians list several values for different times.

How can I convert zhang to meters easily

A quick way is to multiply the number of zhang by 3.3. For example, 4 zhang is about 4 × 3.3 = 13.2 meters. For a very rough guess, you can think 1 zhang is a bit more than 3 meters.

Where might I see the character 丈

You may see 丈 in classical Chinese books, old poems, traditional building plans, or on museum signs that keep the original units from historical records.

Is zhang used for anything other than length

Mostly it is a length unit. In some expressions, Chinese may also use 丈 in a figurative way to mean a big height or deep feeling, but the main technical meaning is still a measure of length.