A Russian unit of length equal to about 28 inches or 71 centimeters, used historically for measuring cloth and land.
From Russian аршин (arshin), which may derive from Persian/Turkic languages. The term entered European languages through trade with Russia, particularly in the textile industry.
The arshin was so important in Russian commerce that the famous saying 'measure with your own arshin' meant to apply your own standards, leading to the phrase 'don't measure others by your own arshin'.
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