How tall was a seven-foot man in ancient times?

Take the Three Kingdoms as an example. One foot at that time was about 24 centimeters today. So if we say that the seven-foot man in the Three Kingdoms was actually about 168 centimeters tall, what we think of General Lu Bu in the Three Kingdoms Among the heroes of the period, there are many sentences describing the height of the characters in ancient books. It is described that Lu Bu was ten feet tall, which was almost 2.2 meters today, which is similar to today's basketball players.

The ruler of the Shang Dynasty is equivalent to the current 15.8 centimeters, so a seven-foot man in the Shang Dynasty was only 110.6 centimeters, which is equivalent to a dwarf. If you were still saying that you were a tall, seven-foot-tall man during the Shang Dynasty, it would be a joke. Of course, there was no such thing as a seven-foot man in the Shang Dynasty.

From the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the length of one foot became 23.1 centimeters, and the length of seven feet was 161.7 centimeters, which is not actually high.

From the Three Kingdoms to the Western Jin Dynasty, the chi increased slightly, reaching 24.2 centimeters. Seven chi is 169.4 centimeters, which is now considered a medium stature.

In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", when a person is described as being very tall, eight feet or even nine feet is usually used to describe it, which seems to be more realistic. Anyone over eight feet (193.6 cm) is indeed considered tall. Tall.

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, one foot increased slightly to 24.5 centimeters, and seven feet was equivalent to 171.5 centimeters. In the Northern Dynasties, it reached 29.6 centimeters. Seven feet is 207.2 centimeters, which is quite high.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were so-called large rulers and small rulers. The large ruler was 36 centimeters, and the small ruler was the same as the Northern Dynasty, which was 29.6 centimeters. If you use a large ruler, seven feet is 252 centimeters. Most people cannot reach this height.

In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the small ruler of the Tang Dynasty was increased to 31.2 centimeters, and the seven-foot ruler was 218.4 centimeters.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the ruler continued to grow, reaching 34.1 cm and 35.5 cm respectively. The seven feet converted into modern lengths are 238.7 cm and 248.5 cm.

To sum up, the seven-foot men in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were about the same height as people today. After the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it cannot be described as such. Seven-foot men are basically equivalent to gigantism.

Extended information

The earliest handed down ruler appeared in the Shang Dynasty. It was based on the distance between a man’s extended thumb and middle finger as 1 shangchi, which is about 16 to 17 years ago. Centimeter, then 1 foot is 10 feet. An adult man is about 1 foot tall, so he is called "husband".

The copper ruler unearthed from the ancient tomb of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in Luoyang, Henan in 1931 and the "Shang Yang Measuring Ruler" support each other. It can be seen that a foot is about 23 centimeters long. The Qin Dynasty followed the Zhou ruler, and one ruler was also about 23 centimeters. Eight rulers from the Western Han Dynasty have been unearthed so far, with the measured length ranging from 23 to 23.6 centimeters. The average length of each ruler is 23.2 centimeters, which is slightly larger than the circumferential ruler. There are many rulers from the Eastern Han Dynasty that have been handed down to this day. More than 40 rulers have been unearthed. The measured lengths are all between 23 and 24 centimeters, with an average length of 23.4 centimeters, which is 0.2 centimeters longer than the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty.

There are fewer rulers left in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. According to Li Chunfeng's "Fifteen Equal Rules" of the Tang Dynasty, each ruler in the Southern Dynasties was about 24.5 to 25 centimeters, and in the late Southern Dynasties it increased to more than 30 centimeters. The rulers in the Northern Dynasties were longer, with the front ruler in the Later Wei Dynasty being 27.8 centimeters and the middle ruler 28 centimeters. , rear feet ranging from 29.9 cm. It can be seen that during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, rulers had a significant growth compared with the Han Dynasty.

The Sui Dynasty inherited the length of the ruler from the late Southern Dynasty, which was about 30 centimeters long. There are nearly 50 various rulers preserved in the Tang Dynasty. There are mainly engraved rulers and engraved tooth rulers. The former are mostly used daily by the people, while the latter are gifts given by the imperial court to ministers and envoys from various countries during the Zhonghe Festival. They are made with exquisite craftsmanship and bright colors.

There are 6 tooth-setting rulers in Japan today. The length of Tang ruler is mostly between 29 and 30 centimeters. The Song Dynasty followed the Tang system, and the official ruler was made by Taifu Temple. Each ruler is about 31.6 centimeters long. The Song Dynasty followed the Tang system. The official ruler was made by Taifu Temple and was mainly used to collect cloth. Therefore, it is also called the Sansi cloth ruler. Each ruler is about 31.6 centimeters long.

According to Zhu Zaiyu's "Lü Lu Jingyi" records of rulers in the Ming Dynasty, there are three types of rulers: the chao ruler (clothing ruler), 34 centimeters long; the curved ruler (construction ruler), 32 centimeters long; Baoyuan Bureau copper ruler (ground measuring ruler), 32.6 cm long. The handed down Jiajing tooth ruler is 32 centimeters long, which should be the standard standard set by the Ming Dynasty. The construction ruler of the Qing Dynasty was 32 centimeters long.

The length of the inscribed scrap tooth ruler "made by Emperor Kangxi" in the National Museum is exactly the same as the ruler made in Qing Dynasty on the bronze view ruler of Purple Mountain Observatory. The tailoring ruler of the Qing Dynasty was 35.55 centimeters long, which is longer than the current ruler. This should be a special case. The Qing ivory-carved clothing ruler collected by the National Museum of China has 10-inch equal parts on the front and engraved landscapes, figures, trees, and houses on the back. The carving is extremely precise.

Judging from the materials used for these rulers of the same period, before the Han Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty used ivory rulers and bone rulers as the earliest ones, mainly made of copper. After the Han Dynasty, the number of copper rulers decreased significantly and was mostly replaced by bone, wooden rulers and iron rulers. During this period, the rulers had a single shape and were not decorated with various patterns. However, more attention was paid to the accuracy of minute and inch markings than in the previous generation. . The ruler gradually returns to its practical nature. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, official rulers were basically made of copper, while rulers used by the people were mostly made of wood and iron.

It can be seen from the above-mentioned changes in materials that before the Han Dynasty, the practicality of rulers was not obvious and was more of a symbol of identity and status. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, rulers gradually became a measuring tool. With the development of the economy and the increase in the use of rulers, people no longer pursue their exquisiteness, but care about their cost and convenience.