In China, a pre-Qin unit of length. In Zhou Dynasty, = 8 chi; in Han Dynasty, = 7 chi; about 5.6 chi at end of the Later Han.
The ren is perhaps unique among units based on the human body, as it is in concept the distance between the fingertips of the outstretched arms held vertically, that is, one up and one down.
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Last revised: 28 February 2007.