"Half a catty" describes similar people or things. But according to current calculations, half a catty should be five taels. What's going on?

"Half a catty of a pound" is often used to describe that the two sides are equally matched and about the same. However, according to the current unit of measurement, one catty is equal to ten taels, and half a catty is only five taels. Compared with eight taels, can the "half catty" which is three taels less than the eight taels really be equal to the "eight taels"?

This starts with ancient weights and measures. Before the Qin Dynasty in our country, the coins and units of weights and measures in various countries were not uniform, and transactions between merchants and people in various countries were inconvenient. After the Qin Dynasty unified the six countries, Qin Shihuang ordered the unification of weights and measures, and Li Si was responsible for drafting the document. At that time, the standard of measurement had been basically determined, but the "weight" was still undecided, so Li Si went to ask the First Emperor for advice. Qin Shihuang then took up his pen and wrote the four characters "The world is fair".

Li Si took the four big characters and was puzzled. In order to prevent the First Emperor from blaming him, he simply added the strokes of these four characters to form the unit of "weight". One catty is equal to sixteen taels, so half a catty is eight taels, which is exactly the same. After the hexadecimal system was established, it has been used in my country's feudal society for more than 2,000 years. It was not until after the founding of the People's Republic of China that the sixteen liang system was inconvenient in calculation, so it was changed to the current one pound equal to ten taels.

Shaanxi paper-cutting is rough and simple, concise and exaggerated. Compared with the meticulous and neat style of Jiangnan area, it is really the same, each has its own merits. Using "half a catty" to describe the paper-cutting art of the two places as being comparable is actually a derogatory and complimentary term.

In the old weights and measures system, one catty equals sixteen taels, and half a catty equals eight taels. So people use "half a catty" to describe that they are the same as each other. "Half a catty" has a derogatory connotation and is generally only used in relation to bad people or things.

For example: "They are both equally capable of sneaking around, so don't laugh at the other." Paper-cutting is a traditional Chinese folk art. It is inappropriate to use "equal" to make a comparison. It should be changed to the same metaphor. It is difficult to distinguish between superior and inferior, and contains a complimentary meaning of "between brothers".

When using the idiom "half a catty and eight ounces", you should be careful not to take it literally and use it as a metaphor for skills and abilities that have not yet been mastered. For example: "Your little skill as a three-legged cat is only half a catty when weighed on the scale. It's better not to go to the class to get an axe