Chia Standard Measure

Tags: bronzes | Hsin Dynasty | measure | National Palace Museum

 

Hsin
Height: 25.6 cm 
 
When Wang Mang usurped the throne from the Han and established the Hsin dynasty, he followed the standards of the past and had the measures recast, which were known by the name "Chia liang (measures)". This Chia measure is a combination of five such measures. The main body is a "hu". Turned over, it becomes a "tou". The left measure is a "sheng", and the right one is a "ho", below which is a "he". Two "he" equal one "ho", ten "ho" equal one "sheng", ten "sheng" equal one "tou", and ten "tou" equal one "hu". The inscription of 249 characters explains the origins, individual parts, and dimensions of the individual parts.

Text: Yang Mei-li

 
Text and images are provided by National Palace Museum