Fen (land) explained

The fen in Mandarin, fan in Cantonese or hun in Taiwanese, is a traditional Chinese unit of measurement for land area. One fen equals 1/10th of a mu in China mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. ^{[1] [2]}

Conversions

In China mainland, Year 1915 ~ 1929: 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 61.44 square meters = 73.48 square yards ^[3] Year 1930 ~ present: 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 66+2⁄3 square meters = 79.73 square yards. ^[4]

Table of Chinese area units effective since 1930!Pinyin!Character!Relative value!Metric value!Imperial value!Notes

háo	Chinese: 毫		m	7.18 sq ft
lí	Chinese: 釐 (T) or Chinese: 厘 (S)		m	7.973 sq yd
fēn	Chinese: 市分		m	79.73 sq yd
mǔ	Chinese: 畝 (T) or Chinese: 亩 (S)	1	m	797.3 sq yd 0.1647 acre	one mu (Chinese acre) =6000 square chi =60 square zhang =1/15 of a hectare
qǐng	Chinese: 頃 (T) or Chinese: 顷 (S)	100	ha	16.47 acre	Chinese hide

In Hong Kong and Macau, 1 fen = 1⁄10 mu = 76.14 square meters = 91.06 square yards.^[5]

In Taiwan and Japan, 1 fen = 1⁄10 jia = 969.92 square meters = 10,440 square feets.^[6]

Taiwan used to be ruled by Holand and then by Japan. Its measurement system was influenced by these two countries. And 1 fen has been set to be 1/10 of a Jia instead of a mu.

For details, please see article Mu (land).

Idioms

• One mu and three fen of land, or 1.3 mu of land is a Chinese idiom that figuratively refers to someone's small personal domain or limited territory, often implying a narrow scope of influence or control.^{[7] [8]}

It is also the name of a Chinese website 1Point3Acres.^[9]

See also

• Chinese units of measurement
  • Taiwanese units of measurement Hong Kong units of measurement

Notes and References

1. Web site: Britannica . mou: Chinese unit of measurement . Encyclopedia Britannica . 2004-04-29 .
2. Book: Language Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences . 新华字典 （附录：计量单位简表）(Xinhua Dictionary (Appendix: Brief table of measurement units)) . . 2020 . 978-7-100-17093-2 . 12th . Beijing . 695–697 . Chinese.
3. .
4. Web site: The Weights and Measures Act (1929) . https://web.archive.org/web/20140425025351/http://lis.ly.gov.tw/lghtml/lawstat/version2/01926/0192618020200.htm . dead . 2014-04-25 . .
5. Law No. 14/92/M (Chinese: [http://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/92/34/lei14_cn.asp 第14/92/M號法律]; Lei n.^o 14/92/M)
6. Web site: Weights and Measures in Use in the ROC . 2001 . Government Information Office . Taiwan .
7. Book: Language Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences . zh:现代汉语词典 (附錄：計量單位表) . Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Appendix: Measure units) . . 2016 . 978-7-100-12450-8 . 7th . Beijing . zh. 1790.
8. Copilot, 2024
9. Web site: 一亩三分地 (1Point3Acres).