Mace (measurement)
Encyclopedia
A mace is a traditional Chinese measurement of weight in East Asia
that was also used as a currency denomination. It is equal to 10 candareen
s and is of a tael
or approximately 3.78 gram
s. A troy
candareen is approximately 3.74 grams. In Hong Kong
, one mace is 3.779936375 gramme. and in Ordinance 22 of 1884, it is oz. avoir.
In Singapore, one mace (referred to as chee) is 3.77994 grammes.
In imperial China
, 10 candareen
s equaled 1 mace which was of a tael
and, like the other units, was used in weight-denominated silver currency system. A common denomination was 7 mace and 2 candareens, equal to one silver Chinese yuan
.
, the English word "mace" derives from Malay
, in this case through Dutch
maes, plural masen, from Malay mas which, in turn , derived from Sanskrit
, a word related to "mash," another name for the urad bean
, and masha
, a traditional Indian unit of weight equal to 0.97 gram. This word is unrelated to other uses of mace
in English.
The Chinese word for mace is qián (錢), which is also a generic word for "money" in Mandarin Chinese
. (The same Chinese character
(kanji
) was used for the Japan
ese sen, the former unit equal to of a Japanese yen
and for the Vietnamese tiền, a currency used in late imperial Vietnam, although neither of these is ever known as "mace" in English.)
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
that was also used as a currency denomination. It is equal to 10 candareen
Candareen
A candareen is a traditional measurement of weight in East Asia. It is equal to 10 cash and is 1/10 of a mace. It is approximately 378 milligrams. A troy candareen is approximately 374 milligrams....
s and is of a tael
Tael
Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency....
or approximately 3.78 gram
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
s. A troy
Troy weight
Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals, gemstones, and black powder.There are 12 troy ounces per troy pound, rather than the 16 ounces per pound found in the more common avoirdupois system. The troy ounce is 480 grains, compared with the avoirdupois ounce,...
candareen is approximately 3.74 grams. In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, one mace is 3.779936375 gramme. and in Ordinance 22 of 1884, it is oz. avoir.
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
In Singapore, one mace (referred to as chee) is 3.77994 grammes.
In imperial China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 10 candareen
Candareen
A candareen is a traditional measurement of weight in East Asia. It is equal to 10 cash and is 1/10 of a mace. It is approximately 378 milligrams. A troy candareen is approximately 374 milligrams....
s equaled 1 mace which was of a tael
Tael
Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency....
and, like the other units, was used in weight-denominated silver currency system. A common denomination was 7 mace and 2 candareens, equal to one silver Chinese yuan
Chinese yuan
The yuan is the base unit of a number of modern Chinese currencies. The yuan is the primary unit of account of the Renminbi.A yuán is also known colloquially as a kuài . One yuán is divided into 10 jiǎo or colloquially máo...
.
Name
Like other similar measures such as tael and cattyCatty
The catty , symbol 斤, is a traditional Chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and shops. Related units include the picul, equal to 100 catties, and the tael, which is of a catty. A stone is a...
, the English word "mace" derives from Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, in this case through Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
maes, plural masen, from Malay mas which, in turn , derived from Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, a word related to "mash," another name for the urad bean
Urad (bean)
Vigna mungo, known as urad, urad dal, udad dal, urd bean, urd, urid, black matpe bean, black gram, black lentil [not to be confused with the much smaller true black lentil ], maas , đậu đen or white lentil, is a bean grown in southern Asia...
, and masha
Masha (mass)
A masha is a traditional Indian unit of mass, now standardized as .1 tola = 12 masha, 180 grains, or 1 masha = 8 ratti or...
, a traditional Indian unit of weight equal to 0.97 gram. This word is unrelated to other uses of mace
Mace (disambiguation)
Mace may refer to:*Mace , a weapon with a heavy head on a solid shaft used to bludgeon opponents**Flail , a spiked weapon on a chain**Ceremonial mace, an ornamented mace used in civic ceremonies...
in English.
The Chinese word for mace is qián (錢), which is also a generic word for "money" in Mandarin Chinese
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
. (The same Chinese character
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
(kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
) was used for the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese sen, the former unit equal to of a Japanese yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
and for the Vietnamese tiền, a currency used in late imperial Vietnam, although neither of these is ever known as "mace" in English.)
See also
- Chinese units of measurementChinese units of measurementChinese units of measurement are the customary and traditional units of measure used in China. In the People's Republic of China, the units were re-standardised during the late 20th century to make them approximate SI units. Many of the units were formerly based on the number 16 instead of 10...
- Taiwanese units of measurementTaiwanese units of measurementTaiwanese units of measurement are the customary and traditional units of measure used in Taiwan. Many of the units derive from Japanese units of measurement and have similar names as Chinese units of measurement but different conversions than in China or Hong Kong...
- Hong Kong units of measurementHong Kong units of measurementHong Kong units of measurement is based on the measurement units of Chinese of Qing Empire, British Imperial and metric. Both British Imperial and Chinese units were used until recently. In 1976 Hong Kong started the conversion to the metric system. This has now been almost completed with almost...
- Economy of the People's Republic of ChinaEconomy of the People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China ranks since 2010 as the world's second largest economy after the United States. It has been the world's fastest-growing major economy, with consistent growth rates of around 10% over the past 30 years. China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of...
- Economic history of China (Pre-1911)
- Economic history of Modern ChinaEconomic history of modern ChinaThe economic history of modern China began with the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Following the Qing, China underwent a period of instability and disrupted economic activity. Under the Nanjing decade , China advanced several industries, in particular those related to the military, in an effort...