A Chinese unit of measurement or weight, historically used for commerce and trade.
From Chinese, this term reflects ancient Chinese systems of measurement. The word entered English through trade and diplomatic contact with China, particularly during the colonial period when Western merchants needed to understand Chinese commercial standards.
Different regions of China used different 'kuan' standards, which made early trade incredibly complicated—merchants literally had to carry conversion charts! This led to one of the first international standardization efforts in global commerce.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.