Skip to main content

Decimal System and Measurement in East Asia

  • Reference work entry
  • 59 Accesses

Decimal System

There exists at least one root word that seems to be common to all languages, namely, tik, which means a finger, an arm, or the numeral “one.” The word te in Japanese language that belongs to Sino‐Tibetan languages refers to a “hand” and iti means “one” (Table 1).

Table 1 Root word and meaning

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   609.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Cavalli‐Sforza, Luigi Luca and Francesco Cavalli‐Sforza. 1995. The Great Human Diasporas, The History of Diversity and Evolution. Trans. Sarah Thorne. Reading: Addison‐Wesley Publishing Company, 183–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horikoshi, Masako, Takaaki Matusmiya, and Hiromi Nakamura. Recommended Food Intake by Hand Measurement Method: Correlations of Sizes of Hand with Height, Weight and Body Surface. Memoirs of the Faculty of Education. Otsu: Shiga University, Natural Science and Pedagogic Science, 1992. 42, 15–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Archaeology, Research Center of Ancient Civilization. Review of the Research into the Origin of Chinese Civilization. Beijing: Cultural Relics Publishing House, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, Shigeo. (1994): The Length Standard in China, Korea and Japan, (1) 300 BC–1700 AD. Bulletin of the Society of Historical Metrology, Japan 16.1,17 43–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. (1995): The Length Standard in China, Korea and Japan, (2) 5000–300 BC. Bulletin of the Society of Historical Metrology, Japan 17.1,18 53–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. The Origin of Linear Measurement in East Asia. APMF 2000 Nov. (2000): 17–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • ‐‐‐. The Origin of Linear Measurement in East Asia – Especially in Japan. Advanced Measurement 2001. Science Council of Japan, May 2001. 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi, Katsunaga. Origin and Development of Number Words. Tokyo: Seirinshas, 1998. 11–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuroiwa, Takashi. Studies on the Metrological Standards in Jomon Pottery. Thesis, Shinshu University, Nagano, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Di. History of Mathematics in China, Ancient Time – Wudai. Nanjing: Tiangsu Educational Publishing Company, 1997. 19–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nei, Masatoshi. The Origins of Human Populations: Genetic, Linguistic, and Archeological Data. The Origin and Past of Modern Humans as Viewed from DNA. Brenner and Ed. Sydney Kazuro Hanihara. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 1995. 71–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogiu, Sorai. Narubeshi, Mohei subaraya. Edo 2 (1762): 14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Jiean‐ling. A Preliminary Study on the Ancient Measuring Tools and the Distribution System of Dadiwan. Kaogu yu Wenwu (Archaeology and Culture Relics) 6 (1992): 37–41.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Iwata, S. (2008). Decimal System and Measurement in East Asia. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9344

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9344

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4559-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4425-0

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics